Dark Salvation
by magicspromise89
Summary: Zohra Kovalevsky has lived as one of Xavier's experiments her whole life. But an anguished cry from Dominic Dragonseeker urges her to risk everything to save his soul. But how can she save his soul when her own is so shadowed? *written after Dark Curse* (Currently on haiatus)
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I do not own the Dark Series Universe or any of Christine Feehan's characters. I do, however, own Zohra and the other OCs. Also I was able to find the names of most of Falcon and Sara's adopted children in Dark Celebration but two of the boys were not named in that book. I took the liberty of naming them myself. And I would like to give a special thanks to Rose3521 for helping me with this story. I wouldn't have made it out of the idea stage without you.

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**Dark Salvation**

**Prologue**

"_Please my Prince. Allow me the task of infiltrating the ranks of the vampire. I have lived nearly three thousand years. I have not felt anything for millennia. Searching for my sister Rhiannon was all that sustained me these past centuries. Now that I know she is truly gone, honor is all I have left, and I fear even that is dwindling. I gave up long ago any hope of salvation. Give me this one last chance to serve my people. Let me take the vampire blood so that when I complete this task I shall be able to greet the dawn knowing I have done my duty. Please my Prince. It is all I have left to give."_

"_Dominic of the Dragonseekers, ancient warrior, if you insist upon this task I will not stop you. I wish you peace my friend. Serve us well."_

"_Thank you my Prince. I offer my blood freely to six of our best warriors. If I should succumb to the darkness, I will take no chances. I fear no hunter alone could stop me." _

"_Very well. Lucian, Gabriel, Gregori, Darius, Vikirnoff, and Falcon come forward."_

_One by one the hunters come forward and drink from his wrist. "Gregori, the vial."_

_The Dark One hands the ancient hunter the vial filled with toxic vampire blood. Dominic pops the cork and empties the contents down his throat. "Thank you my Prince. I leave with honor." And with that the Dragonseeker dissolves into mist. The mist streams out of the cave and rises high to mingle with the clouds. The vapor travels on and on until out of exhaustion, the most ancient of Carpathians is forced to land in human form on the edge of a high cliff. Collapsing to his knees, he looks up to the sky. "Rhiannon, dear sister, if only I could feel the love I know I have for you. Soon. Soon we shall be together again." Then a wave of pain rips through his organs._

Zohra awoke as a roar of agony swept through her soul. Her throat, though raw from the golden collar bathed in vampire blood, could not contain the sheer anguish that tore through her. This wasn't Xavier's work. The dark mage who dubbed himself her master could never create such torment in her. This was something else, something foreign yet all the more powerful. Zohra knew pain intimately. Being essentially one of Xavier's experimental test tube babies, she survived only as one of the dark mage's sick playthings.

Zohra tried to distance herself from the torment. Delving into the few good memories she had always managed to combat every pain. After nearly a millennium it was hard to remember her mother. Katya Kovalevsky was as much a prisoner as Zohra. Maybe more so, for she had seen life outside of Xavier's prison. Every now and then Xavier would allow Zohra an hour or so on the surface. She savored these moments for they did not come often. Yet she still had never known freedom.

All she knew of the outside world came from her mother's stories. Katya used to tell her great tales of soaring with eagles and running with wolves. She told of healing earth and the beauty of the night. But most of all she told Zohra of her family. Katya spent every chance she had with Zohra telling her of her parents and how much love they had for each other. Lifemates she called them. Two people destined to be together for eternity. Souls so intertwined that one literally could not exist without the other. Katya had often dreamed of having her own lifemate. She tried to keep it from Zohra but it was a futile effort. Zohra knew how much her mother missed her life on the outside. As deeply connected as the two of them were, Katya could keep nothing from the young girl, especially Katya's deep love for her brother Dimitri. Dimitri was only 5 years old, barely even an infant by Carpathian standards, when Katya was ripped from her home.

A fresh bout of agony ripped through her. Zohra squeezed her eyes closed and gritted her teeth. The screams she heard weren't just coming from her own mouth. She felt them from deep within her soul. The dark haired, blue-eyed image of her mother faltered and was replaced with someone else. The vision of a man with long black hair and gorgeous green eyes flashed behind her closed lids. She knew the man. Well, not in person. She had never strayed far from Xavier. But she knew this man from her dreams. She had thought it was her own imagination trying to forge a bond where there was none. Now she knew better. Dominic Dragonseeker, the man from her dreams, was real. And he was atop a high cliff writhing in agony. Something was hurting him and he was allowing it. Yet somehow, even though he didn't know it, he was sharing his pain with her. It was excruciating.

Zohra knew if she made too much noise she would attract Xavier's attention, but try as she might, she couldn't hold back the screams. The man's pain tore through her soul and beat at her heart worse than any torture Xavier had given her. Although it felt like a betrayal, Zohra couldn't deny this was worse even than when she felt her mother's death. For this man, this beautiful man, wasn't even fighting back. It was as if he had no hope, nothing to live for. And if what Zohra had dreamed of him was fact, he truly believed he was damned.

Zohra felt something warm and wet slide down her cheeks. She looked down to the floor and saw something that spoke to her soul. In a puddle of her own tears, she saw the face of the man she felt so strongly. She heard a distant voice—her own yet not. _"If your soul weeps bloody tears of silver, and a face looks upon you from its depths, your soul's other half will soon die."_

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zohra screamed. This time however, it wasn't out of pain. She screamed out of sheer terror.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Three days later…

"Please don't make us go back to that place again, Savy," Emma pleaded with the woman as she led them back inside the inn.

"Yeah, Slavica. That guy in there kept giving me the creeps," Ryan said.

"I didn't like him either," Travis chimed in.

"Enough, children," Slavica told her seven charges. "Your mother and I both agreed that you all need some religion in your lives. Now I've been going to this church for almost a year now and Father Bastian has been there since the beginning. He's a priest. He's devoted his life to the service of others. How can you possibly think he's a bad guy?"

Before anyone could answer, a scream was heard coming from the back alley behind the inn. "Inside children, now." Slavica frantically rushed the children through the front door. "Go straight to Gary and don't stop anywhere else. Do you understand?" Slavica didn't have to repeat herself. The children were already rushing to Gary's room.

"Mother!!!" Slavica heard her daughter scream her name.

"Angelina what happened?" Slavica called back as she rushed towards the scream.

"Mother come quickly!"

Slavica ran to the back door to see what her daughter was screaming about. That's when she saw her. On the ground, a woman was lying naked in the mud. Around her neck was a golden collar covered in blood. She looked badly beaten, and she was struggling for breath and mumbling incoherently.

"Angelina, get your father and Jubal Sanders. We need to get her inside."

Slavica yelled into the hallway. "Gary you keep them safe in there and don't let those children out of your sight! Don't let them leave the room for any reason!" She didn't have time to wait for an answer. She had to trust that Gary would keep the children occupied. That woman could die if they didn't act now.

Several minutes later they had the woman in one of their vacant rooms. The woman was delirious. Her skin was hot to the touch and she was sweating blood. The sweat had already stained the thin sheet they had draped over her to cover her nakedness. "Ice!" Slavica barked the order to no one in particular. "I need ice and lots of it. We have to cool her down." Her husband Mirko came back about a minute later with a huge bag from the freezer. "Drape the bag over her chest." The instant the ice touched her skin, the woman on the bed jerked and started shivering uncontrollably.

"Cold. So cold." The woman's spoken words were barely audible.

"I know its cold, dear heart. I'm sorry, but we have to get the fever down. Your skin is so hot I could fry eggs on it."

The woman on the bed shook her head violently. "Not hot. Cold. So cold. Always so cold. Inside. Soul so cold. Can't let him die. Can't let him die."

"Who? Who's going to die?" A scream ripped through the stranger's throat and she started convulsing. _I guess I'll find out later,_ Slavica thought to herself. "Jubal! Mirko! Hold her down!" Slavica shouted to the men. "We don't want her hurting herself." The men held her down until the convulsions stopped. "The girl needs a healer. We have to keep her awake until Gregori or someone else can get here. We can't take her to a hospital. She's not human. Not if my bloody sheet is anything to go by."

Slavica looked at the ice bag Mirko had placed on the woman's chest. It had all melted in less than a minute. "Mother this isn't working!" Angelina was crying hysterically.

Jubal grabbed the battered woman's head and forced her to meet his gaze. "We can't help you unless you tell us what's wrong. What do we do?"

"Can't breathe. Need air." The woman pushed Jubal away from her and grabbed at the golden collar around her neck. The smell of burning flesh reached Jubal's nostrils. Smoke emanated from the woman's hands. Jubal wrenched her hands off the collar only to find them blackened and burned.

"It's the collar. It must be laced with vampire blood. It's amazing she can even speak. We have to get it off her."

Mirko grabbed some gardening gloves from a cabinet and put them on. He walked over to examine the collar. "Hold her still; I have to take a look." With the gardening gloves protecting him from being burned too quickly, he ran a finger around the collar. "There is no break in the metal. I can't get it off. It's like it's welded on. We'd have to cut off her head to remove it."

"Can't breathe. Too tight." The words were coming now in short gasps. The collar was shrinking around her throat.

"Her skin is getting hotter." Slavica announced after she burned her palm on the woman's arm.

"That's it!" Jubal exclaimed. The hotter she gets the tighter the collar is." He turned to Mirko. "Get me a fire extinguisher and a thick dry towel."

"I'm on it." Mirko rushed into the kitchen and ran back with the items Jubal requested.

"Slavica, I need you to hold this towel over her face but make sure she still gets air."

As Slavica followed Jubal's instructions, he prepared the fire extinguisher. "Okay everybody. Close your eyes and hold your breath. Slavica don't let her move." With that Jubal released the catch on the fire extinguisher and aimed a steady stream of the foam straight at the collar. After about ten seconds of the woman shaking and kicking, he stopped spraying and put the fire extinguisher down. "Alright, now that that's over, let's see if it worked." Jubal carefully approached the woman now shivering on the bed. He took the towel from Slavica and used it the grab the collar. The collar crumbled to dust at the first touch.

The woman gasped, filling her lungs with much needed air. Then her rescuers watched in stunned silence as she flung herself off the bed, collapsed onto the floor and screamed as her body erupted in flames.


	3. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. My muse went on vacation for a while. But do you know what keeps my muse happy and keeps me from getting writer's block? Reviews. My muse is a glutton for reviews. She doesn't even care if they're anonymous. So after you read this chapter, just go ahead and click that tempting little button on the bottom on the screen. Just a few words is all it takes. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but no flames please. And to those of you who have reviewed, my muse and I thank you. So now without further ado, here is chapter 2 of Dark Salvation. (FYI: The breaks represent a change in point of view)**

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**Chapter 2**

"_I can't believe you went behind my back and told Slavica to bring our children to a place of strangers!"_ Falcon called back to his lifemate on their private path.

"_It was church! I'm not going to apologize for sending our children to a place of worship! With everything that has been going on, we all need to keep a strong faith." _Sara was fed up with Falcon trying to run everything, especially when it came to their children.

"_I don't care if it was a garden full of fluffy little bunnies. We have to check out every place thoroughly before sending them somewhere without us. You know that Sara," Falcon_ reprimanded her as he raced to the inn in the body of an eagle.

"_I know, love. I'm sorry. It's just, with the pregnancy and the stress from the recent attacks, I only wanted our children to have something to believe in. I guess I didn't think this one through."_

"_I'm sure with Slavica there everything went smoothly. Let's just pray that nobody heard something they shouldn't and followed them back to the inn. With all the fanatics out there, we can't be too careful. One of them might come and…" _Falcon trailed off as he caught sight of the inn. Through the window, he noticed a huge wall of flame, and it wasn't coming from the fireplace.

"_Falcon what is it?" _There was panic in Sara's voice. Falcon sent her a mental picture of the inn and then in a tone only a frightened mother can possess she said, _"Get them out of there, now!"_

Sara's order was unnecessary, for Falcon had already resumed human form and was tearing through the inn. While searching frantically for his children he began calling their names both telepathically and out loud. "Travis! Ryan! Caleb! Chrissy! Emma! Jase! Blythe! Where are you?"

"_Falcon, we're all with Gary." _Falcon came to a halt as the voice of five-year-old Caleb filled his head._ "But Savy pushed us in here about a half an hour ago, and Gary won't let us leave the room, not even to go potty. I have to pee real bad and Emma is screaming and talking crazy about a lady being on fire in another room. Falcon, I'm scared."_

Falcon took a look around and noticed the fire he had seen hadn't spread one bit. Something strange was going on. _"Caleb, I need you to hold it just a little bit longer. Don't go anywhere and don't open the door for anyone but me. Promise me you'll stay where you are unless I say otherwise. I need to go check on this fire."_

"_Okay Falcon I promise. But please don't take too long. I don't know how much longer I can hold it in."_

Falcon turned back toward the living room where he now noticed the piercing cries of agony.

"_Falcon, what's happening? Why didn't you get them out of there?" _Sara's panicked cry rang through his head.

"_They're safer where they are, Sara. I don't know what's happening but they don't appear to be in any immediate danger." _That's when he saw it. Deepening their connection, Falcon allowed Sara to see the horrifying scene before him. A woman was indeed on fire, and they weren't natural flames.

Falcon called out to the prince. _"Mikhail, I think you and Gregori should come to the inn."_

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Zohra's return to reality came in the most painful way possible. Flames covered every inch of her skin, and her insides felt like a sea of lava. She touched a hand to her throat. Just as she suspected, the collar was off. The final charm had been activated. She could only hope Razvan's gift of healing fire, could counteract it completely. She had already almost died from the charm that made her sick to use her magic. The parasites now tearing through her organs almost made her wish she had let the collar strangle her. But no, she didn't have the luxury of dying anymore. She had to find Dominic.

Zohra struggled to stand up as the fire drew the parasites through her pores and burned them one by one. She gritted her teeth as wave after wave of pure agony swept over her. Her insides were being torn to shreds. There was absolutely no way the healing fire could destroy all the parasites before they killed her. She surveyed her surroundings through the bright orange flames. Some kind of foam was being sprayed at her only to disintegrate in the fire. No one else would be able to aid her in this. She would have to expend more energy she didn't have. Zohra fought through the pain to find the tranquil state needed to heal herself. It was difficult, but finally she was able to let go of the physical world. The chaos taking place inside her body was appalling. The parasites were multiplying at an alarming rate. There was no way she could destroy them all in her weakened state. Luckily she didn't have to. As bright healing light, Zohra chased after the parasites, leaving no part of her body unchecked. She was relentless, forcing the parasites to run from her light only to be drawn out of her body and destroyed by the healing fire. She made a few more sweeps until she was certain no more were hiding, and then came back to herself. She collapsed back onto the floor as the last of the flames died down.

Zohra looked up to see a crowd of people staring at her in both fear and confusion—three Carpathian men and her four human rescuers. The Carpathians must have come to investigate the flames. Zohra was suddenly very aware of her nakedness. Feeling very vulnerable she addressed the crowd in front of her. "Um… If you are all going to keep staring at me, could you at least get me some clothes? I'm feeling very exposed."

One of the Carpathian men waved a hand and a sweatshirt and jeans formed over her body. "You are clothed," he said. "Now please tell us who you are and what you are doing here."

Zohra looked down at her new clothes. They were simple and plain looking, but they were so much better than the rags Xavier had given her. In fact, Xavier usually didn't give her anything at all. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at the man who had conjured them. "Thank you. I had forgotten that Carpathians could do that." Zohra looked around the room until she spotted her human rescuers. "Thanks to you as well. I never would have gotten that collar off without your help." She rubbed a hand against her neck where burns from the collar still lingered.

The Carpathian, unswayed by her gratitude, grabbed her by the scruff of her new shirt, shoved her toward him and forced her to meet his gaze. "I asked you a question," he growled at her. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Zohra could feel herself falling into those eyes. Exhausted as she was, she was helpless to resist the compulsion. "M-my name is Z-Zohra," she forced out, the man's demanding presence causing her to stutter. "Zohra K-Kovalevsky. I c-came here to f-find my l-lifemate."

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Falcon tightened his grip on the woman. She looked helpless, but so did that old woman at the Christmas celebration and he knew how that turned out. This woman, Zohra, threatened his family with her very presence. Emma was still screaming in the back room of the inn. The woman seemed to be telling the truth, but not all of it. He increased the intensity of his gaze. "Who sent you here?"

The woman was quivering now under the onslaught of his penetrating stare. "N-no one. No one sent me. P-please let me go."

Falcon felt a tight grip on his shoulder. "Stand down Falcon. She's no threat to anyone."

Falcon ignored the prince, for the first time disobeying a direct order. The woman was hiding something from him and he intended to find out what it was. Shaking the woman, he barked out the question again.

"I told you the truth." She was crying now, bloody tears streaming down her face. "You're supposed to be one of the good guys. Why are you hurting me?"

Before Falcon could do any more damage, he was dragged away from the woman and pushed into the wall by the prince's second in command.

"You **dare** disobey a direct order from your prince?" Gregori snarled at him. "You just attacked an unclaimed female. I should kill you where you stand."

Shocked by Gregori's words, Falcon met his slashing silver gaze. "Don't you threaten me Dark One. This woman's very presence here is frightening my children. Emma is back there screaming; can you not hear?"

"Gregori, let him go." The prince became the voice of reason. "That's an empty threat and you know it. His lifemate is carrying. That alone is enough to put him on edge. With seven adopted children in the midst of this chaos, it's no wonder he attacked her."

As Gregori released him, the prince turned to Falcon. "Get your children and go home to your lifemate, Falcon. I'm sure Sara is worried sick."

"You're right. I am." They all turned around to see a very upset Sara in the doorway.

Falcon ran to his wife. "What are you doing here Sara?" He placed a hand on her round belly. "You are supposed to be resting. The baby can't take the strain."

"I'm not the one causing the strain Falcon. Right now the baby is upset because her daddy isn't home with her mommy like he belongs." Sara clutched her head. "And the children are giving me a migraine from how scared they are."

"Because of this woman, Sara. She's disrupting the natural order!"

Sara gave him a look that was a cross between frustration and disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself?" She grabbed his chin and turned it to face the woman he had attacked. Zohra was now whimpering on the floor in the fetal position. _"Look at her. You are disrupting the natural order Falcon. This woman couldn't hurt a fly in her condition." _She forced his gaze back to her. _"Emma is an empath. She was screaming because of this woman's pain and now you've instilled a fear in her that her father will attack someone who is suffering. Now let's get our children and go home before anything else can frighten them—or me."_

Falcon was taken aback. Sara's words finally hit home. He had attacked a woman who couldn't fight back. He looked into his lifemate's eyes. _"Forgive me, my love. Let us return home. I have thoroughly shamed myself this evening." _He turned to Zohra and approached her quivering body. "I do not ask for forgiveness, only understanding. In my effort to protect my family I have done more harm than good. I shall leave before I hurt anyone else."

As Falcon turned with Sara to collect his children and exit the back door, he heard a voice. It wasn't out loud and it wasn't in his head. The words seem to speak to his soul. _"You are forgiven." _It sounded like the unclaimed female he had just attacked, but when he turned around he saw she had slipped into unconsciousness.

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**Well that's it for now. I know you are all waiting for Dominic to enter the scene. I'm sorry to say that he wont be in the next chapter either, but I'm hoping to get him in by chapter 4. To give you a little sneak peek, in chapter 3 I'm planning on having a big scene where Skyler and Dimitri meet Zohra. I'm going to try to have Natalya and Vikernoff in the next chapter as well. Thanks for reading. Now please tell me what you think of my fic so far.**


	4. Chapter 3

Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. I had planned on getting this chapter up last weekend but as it turned out I ended up waiting in the hospital for 12 hours for my nephew to come into the world. He was 4 weeks early so I definitely wasn't expecting it. Anyway, for a while all I could think about was babies. Not very conducive to writing a fanfic unless it's about babies. Anyway, I finally finished chapter 3. I know I said I was going to put Skyler and Dimitri in this chapter, but my muse had other plans. As a writer, you have to go with what flows right. I tried to fit them into this chapter, but it was getting too long and they just didn't seem to fit with what I had. I'm definitely hoping to put them in the next chapter. Dominic and Zohra still haven't met yet. But don't worry. I promise I'll get to it. This chapter was mainly my attempt at tying this in with Feehan's next story Dark Slayer. I wanted it to seem canon and not like it was AU. I hope it worked. Well enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!

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**Chapter 3**

"_I can't let you do this Razvan. There has to be another way."_

"_You know there isn't Zohra. When my grandfather discovers I've been helping you, I'm dead anyway, and it won't be quick. I won't let Xavier keep you here when your lifemate needs you. I have to help you escape. I'll break you out of here and we can exchange blood. It will mix our scents to confuse the vampires. Once we are away from the fortress, I'll head in another direction to throw them off. I'll keep the vampires busy until dawn, and even if I must burn as well, I shall make sure they all perish with the sun. Once the sun rises, keep going as far as you can during the daylight hours. The worst threat you might encounter during the day is a bunch of ghouls. Not even shadow warriors can pursue you then. The sun doesn't burn you like it does other Carpathians and you need to use that advantage to its fullest extent."_

"_I can't do this alone. Razvan, I've never been on the outside. I need you to help guide me. I could get lost or starved or die before I even find him."_

"_I'll give you a mental map of the fortress and surrounding areas. Your power of connection should help you find the rest of your way to the Carpathians. You know I can't come with you. You have a much better chance of survival if we split up to confuse them. Besides, I need do the honorable thing for once. I have no lifemate out there to save me. You are all that is holding me to the light but I won't deprive a hunter of his salvation because I'm selfish. If I should perish in this task, at least I shall know my death actually meant something." _

_Zohra reached up to cup the man's chin and looked into his eyes. "I've never thought you selfish Razvan. If anything, you're the most selfless person I've ever met. Then again I haven't met many people, but anyone who cares enough to look can see that everything you've ever done, the good and the bad, was to help those you care about. If I get the chance to meet your sister Natalya, I'll tell her that."_

_Razvan jerked away from her touch and widened his eyes, so in awe was he of Zohra's words. "I am many things, Zohra, but selfless is not one of them." Razvan averted his gaze as he fiddled with the magical locks chaining her to the wall. "If I were selfless I would have met the dawn centuries ago. Instead, I allowed my grandfather to use me as a puppet for his wretched experiments and hurt my sister in the process." Razvan finished removing the safeguards from the manacles and uttered a counter-charm to safely remove them from Zohra's wrists. "Are you ready Zohra?"_

"_What about the collar?"_

"_My magic won't work on that. Xavier created it to make you ill if you use your power. It will only tighten if I try to remove it that way. We don't have time to come up with another solution and cutting off your head would sort of defeat the purpose. Plus if it does come off I'm sure it would kill you. I'll place a counter-spell in your blood that should counteract any parasites that the collar could release. The healing fire will draw them out and kill them. I'm sorry I can't do more."_

"_Thank you Razvan. And to answer your question, no I'm not ready. I never will be. But I must leave now anyway." Zohra watched as Razvan ripped open his wrist to offer his blood. She did the same to her own. _

"_Take what is freely given so that it will sustain you on your journey," Razvan said holding out his bleeding wrist._

"_I give to you freely as well, Razvan. May you find the peace I know you deserve."_

_With that, the two made their exchange. Then they began their escape after laying eyes on each other for what they knew might be the last time._

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As Natalya and Vikernoff approached the inn, they noticed a strange odor coming from the chimney.

"The prince is right, Vik. A mage had to have had a hand in this."

"But Mikhail said the woman wasn't mage. He had Gary test the bloody perspiration left on Slavica's sheet. He doesn't know what she is but the results were negative for mage blood."

"That doesn't mean a mage hasn't been helping her."

"_You don't think your brother had anything to do with this, do you? I mean, we know he's not evil now but he's still under Xavier's influence."_

"_I don't know what to believe Vikernoff. All I know is I'm tired of not knowing who to trust."_

When they got to the door, Gregori greeted them and ushered them inside. "We would have contacted you sooner but we didn't realize this wasn't an ordinary fire," he told them.

Natalya couldn't believe what she was hearing. From what the prince had told her it had to be anything but. "Excuse me? How could you not know it wasn't ordinary? A woman spontaneously combusts in the living area of the inn, the fire doesn't spread, and it dies away by itself leaving no burn marks on her at all! Does that sound like an ordinary fire to you?"

The Dark One decided not to let Natalya's outburst affect him. "We thought the woman might be manipulating the flames somehow so they wouldn't burn her. We didn't realize the scorch mark would take mage power to remove."

Natalya met Gregori's silver gaze and raised an eyebrow. Then she turned her head to her lifemate. _"Still not an ordinary fire no matter how you look at it."_

"_Just let it go, sivamet. It's not worth arguing over."_

"_Fine." _Natalya turned back to Gregori. "Where is this scorch mark the fire left?"

Gregori led them into the living area of the inn where Slavica was making a futile effort to scrub away the aforementioned mark. "Slavica, I highly doubt that a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush will remove what Carpathians could not," he told the woman.

Slavica stopped scrubbing and put away the brush. She got up from the floor to greet them. "Good evening Natalya, Vikernoff. It's a pleasure to see you again." Then she turned to Gregori. "If this doesn't work, I'll expect compensation. I just bought that rug."

"Rest assured Slavica, we shall make you an exact replica if we exhaust all other options."

"I'll hold you to that," Slavica announced as she picked up her bucket and brush and headed into the kitchen.

Natalya bent down to better examine the ashen stain and gasped. "That's not a scorch mark. It's a message disguised as one. And I know of only one person who could have sent it."

Vikernoff knelt down to place a reassuring hand on his lifemate's shoulder. "Your brother." It wasn't a question; it was obvious that Razvan was the one she spoke of.

"Razvan and I used to send secret messages to each other when we were young. It was a way to not only test our skills in magic but also to pass on information without Xavier knowing. We were afraid that our grandfather had found a way to breach our private mental path. We didn't know how, but we were uncertain just how much power he wielded. So we experimented. Sometimes we would transport still images along with the dust in the wind. Sometimes we would plant words in the very soil or we would use the water to see through each other's eyes indirectly. But one of the most complicated methods was to place our words in the ashes left by a magical fire. This is one such message."

"Can you reveal it?" Gregori asked her.

"I believe so." Natalya stood up and waved the others back. She traced a symbol in the air and began her spell:

"**Hidden message forged in fire**

**Reveal yourself, this I require."**

The mark glowed bright and the stain dissolved into symbols. "It's in our old code. It **must** be important."

"Can you decipher it?" Gregori asked.

"It's been a while but I believe so." Natalya was about to lean closer when Vikernoff pulled her back.

"Wait a minute. That was it? A little shimmery symbol and two lines that rhyme?"

Natalya met her lifemate's confused gaze with one of exasperation. "Were you expecting fireworks? It worked didn't it?"

"Well yes, but every spell I've ever heard you say has been rather long and elaborate."

"That's because every spell I've ever said in front of you needed to be long and elaborate. This one did not. Besides, the spell is sheer elegance in its simplicity. Xavier would never suspect that a message so complicated to hide would be so easy to reveal."

Vikernoff looked at his lifemate with pride in his eyes. "Genius. Pure genius."

"My brother had his moments. The spell was his idea." Natalya watched in bemusement as her lifemate's proud expression turned to one of shock.

Gregori cleared his throat. "Can we get back to the business at hand here?"

"Of course." Natalya knelt down to decipher the message. A few moments passed by in utter silence until Natalya shoved a fist in her mouth to stifle a sob.

Immediately concerned, Vikernoff knelt down beside his lifemate and pulled her close. _"What is it sivamet? What does it say?"_

Natalya pulled her fist from her mouth and wiped her tears. She cleared her throat and began to speak knowing she could break down any second. "It says:

'**Dear Natalya, **

**By the time you read this I will have met the dawn. I should have done this long ago, but instead I allowed Xavier to control me. I will not let him use me any longer. So it is with these words that I say my final farewell. But do not mourn my passing. Let my death be remembered as honorable as my life never was. The woman I used to deliver this message knows nothing of my plans, nor does she have any inkling to her true potential. The power locked away inside of her is unlike anything I have ever encountered. Please keep her safe, for I believe she might hold the key to saving the Carpathian race from extinction. Goodbye dear sister.**

**Your brother,**

**Razvan'**"

"Is that it?" Vikernoff whispered into Natalya's hair as he clutched her tightly.

"No. There was a postscript." A sound between a sob and a chuckle escaped her lips. "It says. **'P.S. Kill the bastard for me.'** My brother always did have a way with words." Natalya burrowed up against Vikernoff's chest. "I'm losing him all over again." The words were barely a whisper but he heard it all the same.

Vikernoff looked up at Gregori. "We can't afford to ignore this. Gregori, go inform the prince. I must tend to my lifemate."

Gregori nodded as he watched the pair turn to mist and stream away.

"_Mikhail. We have pressing news."_

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Dominic crouched down on the ground outside the hospital. He had almost killed that woman. Even worse, she was pregnant. He hoped he'd gotten her to the emergency room in time. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her or her baby. He'd expended precious energy healing her after he had so carelessly fed and he wanted her closely monitored after what he had done. He hadn't even noticed the other heartbeat until he had taken much from her. The truth was he hadn't even thought to look. The agonizing hunger was all-consuming. The vampire blood was beginning to take control of him. Dominic had managed to stop himself this time, but how much longer could he keep this up? He had thought that consuming the toxic blood in order to spy on the enemy would give meaning to his endless existence, but now he couldn't help but wonder if his act of honor was really an act of suicide.

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Well that's it for Chapter 3. Now please click that button down there and review!


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update. I knew what I wanted, but I was having trouble puting it into words. Anyway I want to thank both Rose3521 and murgatroid-98 for idea-bouncing with me. Sometimes it just helps to talk it out. And I would also like to thank all of you who reviewed and kept my muse happy. Those of you who did not review, Why the heck didn't you? All you have to do is click a button a type a few words! How hard is that? I'm hoping to have at least 23 reviews by the time I upload Chapter 5, so if you read this fic, REVIEW. That is all. What are you waiting for? Read!

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**Chapter 4**

"_Zohra. Zohra."_

_Zohra was floating on a sea of nothingness. A voice was calling her, pulling her back through the fog of her mind. She was too tired and weak. She could not bring herself to open her eyes. She needed to rest._

"_Zohra you must rise. You must rise or all will be lost."_

_The voice was getting clearer now, stronger. All will be lost? What was all? And who was speaking. The voice sounded familiar, but it was all so hazy. "Who are you?"_

"_Zohra, how can you not know me? We are one." The hurt in those words was so tangible Zohra could feel the anguish pouring into her._

"_You feel familiar, like an old friend, but how is that possible? I see connections in everyone, even in myself although they are sometimes muddled. Surely I would remember you."_

"_It has been long since we have last conversed. The dark mage silenced me through his magic, but I have never once deserted you. I am Denae, your guardian and protector of your soul. My power is yours and yours is mine. We are one being."_

_Zohra struggled to pull herself out of the depths of sleep. She needed to be alert. This could be a trick. She sent out her senses, trying to get a feel for the one who called herself the guardian of her soul. The familiar feeling of acquaintance gave way to a sense of safety and comfort. Instinctively, Zohra pushed further seeking more. In her mind, Zohra could find no memories of her guardian, but her soul recognized her protector as a child knows its mother. The feeling was one of love. Something Zohra had not felt from anyone in centuries. She wanted to bask in its warm glow forever. "I know you speak the truth. I am sorry I have forgotten you, but a love that powerful must be true. Perhaps in time, my memory of you will return." Suddenly, Zohra remembered her protector's earlier words. "What is happening? Why can't I seem to wake up? And what did you mean all will be lost?"_

"_Our lifemate is losing the battle with his inner beast. He nearly killed last night while feeding off a pregnant woman. He didn't even notice until both hearts were laboring. Luckily he was able to save them both, but with the beast rising in strength he will have no control during his next feeding. He will make the kill and turn to the darkness."_

"_NO! He can't. He wouldn't. How could he go after a woman with child? After living for honor for nearly three thousand years, how could he let this hunger consume him? How can he allow this?" Zohra was frantic. She desperately tried to open her eyes, to awaken herself, but she felt drugged. "I have to get to him! I have to save him! This can't happen! I won't let him turn vampire!" From the depths of her soul Zohra cried out. She reached for her guardian for reassurance but her warmth left something to be desired. She was holding back. "What else do you know that I do not? If we are truly one Denae, then you must tell me."_

"_Guardians cannot exist inside a broken soul. Dominic, although not yet bound to you, is indeed your other half. If he were to die or to turn vampire, your soul would essentially be just that—broken. I would die as well and you would truly be alone."_

_Zohra pushed deeper into the warmth and sent her guardian a feeling of determination. "If I cannot find my lifemate, my lifemate shall find me. When he awakens, he will be ravenous. I must be the one from whom he feeds. The healing fire Razvan put in my blood should pass on to him and kill the parasites in the vampire blood. He will be healed and his color and emotions restored." Zohra once again strained to dig past the heavy fog of sleep to no avail. "Why can't I wake up?"_

"_The Carpathians placed you in a deep sleep. You cannot shut down your heart and lungs and go to ground, so they put you in the deepest sleep they could to make sure you could heal properly. As your guardian I can break through the bonds holding you to sleep, but it will limit my powers should you have need of me later. I am still regaining the strength that Xavier's magic depleted. If you plan on sending a strong enough compulsion to our lifemate, there is only one guaranteed solution. You must pass the message through a blood connection."_

"_How do I do that?"_

"_Follow the path to Dominic while feeding from the blood of his line."_

"_But Dominic has no children."_

"_No, but his sister did. And five of Rhiannon's descendants are currently nearby."_

_Zohra didn't want to hurt anyone. She never liked feeding. She was unable to influence the mind of the one she took from. If she were to feed, the person would have to be completely aware and willing. _

"_We don't have a choice Zohra. If we cannot find one willing to give, just this one time, we must take by force. There is no other option."_

"_I know this is true. But I don't have to like it."_

"_Are you ready Zohra? What we must do, we must do quickly."_

"_Yes. Let's go save our lifemate."_

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Skyler sat in the nursery watching baby Tamara sleeping peacefully in her crib. _If only I could do that._ Skyler had been having difficulty sleeping for months now. Ever since Dimitri had saved her life at the Christmas gathering to be precise. She was hardly able to catch a nap without aid from Gabriel or Francesca. Skyler stood up and went to look at herself in the mirror. Just as she thought, dark circles were forming under her eyes. Her face was pale too. She had forgotten to eat again. Well, she had a lot on her mind. Okay, one thing. But the one thing refused to vacate her head for a single afternoon.

After making sure the baby monitor was turned on, Skyler went into the next room and sat on her bed. She grabbed the small plush wolf from her pillow and held it in front of her so she could stare into its glacier blue eyes. "Why do you have to look just like him?" she addressed the wolf. "You are supposed to help me feel calm enough to sleep, not keep me up all the time thinking about him." Skyler turned the wolf around so she couldn't see its face and then placed it in her lap. "This is infuriating. Dimitri is buried in the earth sleeping like the dead. Even unconscious he's dominating my thoughts." Skyler looked down to find her fingers absently stroking the wolf, caressing it. Skyler had a fleeting thought. _What would it feel like to touch Dimitri like this?_ Skyler jumped off the bed at the same time she threw the stuffed animal across the room. "I'm possessed," she muttered to herself. "There is no way I would ever have a thought like that on my own."

Suddenly, Skyler was driven to her knees by an anguish not her own. She knew instinctively that the strange woman down the hall had woken up. As Skyler struggled to regain her footing, she examined the feeling. The woman was desperate. Although terribly weak, her only concern was for another. She felt this person would soon be lost to her. As much as Skyler wished she could stay away from this well of tormented emotions, she knew she could not. Just like the wolf last Christmas, she **needed** to help this woman. At least this time she knew it wasn't a vampire. No vampire could fake what that woman was feeling. Skyler was sure of it. Plus, the sun had not yet set.

Skyler carefully made her way down the hall to the guest room and knocked on the door. "Miss," she called to the person on the other side. "Miss, do you need some help? I can come in if you like." Skyler pressed her ear to the door. She heard a muffled sound that could have been an answer but she could not be certain. Slowly, she eased the door open and crept inside.

Skyler looked at the woman on the bed. The woman's skin was incredibly pale and she was so skinny you could see her ribs through the thin cloth draped over her. Skyler watched as the woman struggled to meet her gaze. A small groan escaped the woman's throat. Unable to bear this woman's suffering any longer, Skyler rushed to kneel by her side. "You should be resting. You are far too weak to sit up let alone run from here. Don't worry. You are safe here. I heard that the prince has given strict orders that no one is to harm you. There is no reason to be afraid."

The woman looked up to meet Skyler's grey-blue gaze. "That is not true, Skyler. I have every reason to be afraid right now." The woman's words were no louder than a whisper, but there was no mistaking her words.

"How do you know my name?"

"You are one of Razvan's daughters. I can see it by looking at you." The woman's lips turned up when Skyler shrunk back. "No, you don't look like him. I have the ability to see connections. It's rather hard to explain, but blood is the easiest kind to track, especially if I've met someone in the family. I can follow the path to him just by looking in your eyes. You are much too young to be Lara or that daughter Razvan never knew. So I figured you must be Skyler. My name is Zohra." The woman closed her eyes and scrunched up her brow as if she was battling a headache. Skyler had to fight her natural urge to comfort to keep from touching her. The last thing she needed was to drown in this woman's emotions.

"Please, you must rest," Skyler urged. "You're hurting yourself."

"There is no time for that." Zohra once again met Skyler's gaze. "I need your help Skyler."

"I will do whatever I can to help. Just tell me what you need and I will try to get it for you. Just please rest. I can't bear watching you suffer like this."

"Forgive me. I should have realized you were an empath. This makes what must be done just that much harder." Zohra sighed. "Skyler, believe me when I tell you that if there were any other way, I wouldn't dare put you through this—"

"Through what?" A tremor entered Skyler's voice. "What do you need me to do?"

Zohra slowly reached out her hand. When it was clear that Skyler would not pull away, she lightly gripped the young girl's wrist. Skyler stared down at their joined hands and marveled at the wonder of it. She felt no pain, only a strong sense of rightness. She felt a kinship with this woman, and knew instinctively that she would do absolutely anything to help her. Skyler looked back up at Zohra. "How?"

"We are kindred spirits. We see ourselves in each other. I guess we've both experienced so much pain that we cancel out each other's torment. Interesting is it not?"

"Incredible."

"Skyler, my lifemate is in terrible danger. The beast is taking control of him. He will turn this very rising if I am unable to reach him. As you have said, I am far to week to even sit up, let alone go find my lifemate. But I refuse to lose him before we even meet. I must make him come to me. That is where you come in."

"But what can I do?"

"The only way I can send a compulsion strong enough, is through a blood bond. Since I have never fed from him, I need the next best thing, a blood relative."

"I'm a blood relative aren't I?" Skyler saw confirmation in Zohra's eyes.

Zohra tightened her grip on the girl's arm as she tried to pull away. "Please. I'm begging you. I have no other options. There is no time. The sun will set soon and when Dominic rises, I must be the one from whom he feeds. Otherwise, he will be lost forever. You bear the mark of the Dragonseekers. You are a descendent of Rhiannon. Your blood will help me find him. If there were any other way, I would use it, but there is not. Please, Skyler. I promise, never again will I put you through this, but I have no choice." Silvery tears were falling down the woman's face. "Please."

Skyler saw the truth in Zohra's eyes. She felt her desperation to the very depths of her soul. She could not deny her. Her need to help this woman overrode her every fear. "Will it hurt?"

"I won't lie to you. Yes. It will hurt. I'm too weak to even attempt to distance you from it. You will feel everything."

Skyler sat down next to her and nodded. Holding out her wrist, she said, "Take what you need to find your lifemate. Now, before I change my mind."

Zohra wasted no time. She seized the girl's proffered wrist and sank her teeth in deep.

The pain was more than Skyler could bear. She screamed and frantically tried to pull away. Zohra refused to let go. Why had she said yes?

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Dimitri tore through the earth, his rage blackening the skies. Someone was hurting his lifemate. The beast demanded vengeance, and Dimitri felt no reason to deny it.

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Oooh. How evil am I to leave it like that? I didn't plan on ending it like that but it was getting rather long, so when I found a good place to stop, I took it. But don't worry. More great stuff will come in Chapter 5. Also, In case anyone was wondering, Denae is pronounced (DEN-nay). Thanks for reading. Now review!


	6. Chapter 5

Authors Note: Sorry again for the delay. I knew what I wanted, but I was really struggling with how I wanted to word it. Sometimes ideas seem so easy to work with in your head, but when you go to write it down, you just can't seem to start. I want to give big thanks to Rose3521 and murgatroid-98 for IM-ing with me so I could make this chapter the best it could be. I would also like to thank my readers and especially my reviewers. Encouragement always makes me feel good inside and keeps me inspired. So if you want me to keep writing, you have got to let me know. Well enough of my rambling. Read and Review!

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**Chapter 5**

Zohra had always hated feeding. Xavier used to kidnap human victims for her to feed from, but she always refused. She would often refuse blood until the point of starvation, and even then only fed from the small animals found in her prison. Most Carpathians could find a way to look at people as just a means of nourishment while they fed. Zohra didn't have that luxury. Her connection power made it impossible for her to look at someone without seeing them as a person. Even Xavier. And she hated that about herself. When she fed, her connection power got stronger, allowing her to access the Tree of Souls like she was doing now. It also gave her a glimpse into a person's life.

The moment Zohra sank her teeth into Skyler's wrist, she was caught in a maelstrom of torturous memories not her own. This girl had been badly abused. After Razvan, her mother had been so scared that she married a man she felt was strong enough to protect them both. But he used his strength to hurt them, not help them. Zohra experienced every brutal assault Skyler ever endured, all in mere moments after she had begun to feed. Skyler's mind was in chaos. She was in the center of the storm, overwhelmed by the pain of the past. Zohra knew she could not travel up the Tree of Souls to find Dominic while this young girl was being dragged into the abyss.

"_Denae what do I do?" _Zohra called out to her guardian._ "I can't let her drown in her fear or I will be just another monster who took advantage of her."_

"_Happy memories always helped you, Zohra. Help her focus on a time in her life she was at peace. But hurry, she's losing too much blood and we can't remain in the Tree of Souls long after feeding."_

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Skyler was unprepared for the pure agony of Zohra's bite. It wasn't the physical tearing of flesh that made her scream; Skyler had learned long ago how to block that kind of pain from reaching her. No, this was something much more powerful. The moment Zohra had sunk her teeth into her wrist, Skyler was swept away into a sea of painful memories. She seemed to be reliving centuries of loneliness and hopelessness. She felt the pain of her mother die at the hands of the undead. She saw evil in its purest form surround her from all sides. Skyler was suffocating from the depravity. It was then she realized none of these memories were her own. Skyler had not lived centuries and her mother had died at the hands of a sadistic human being, not a vampire. It was Zohra's life she saw flashing before her eyes, Zohra's loneliness and fear that consumed her. Skyler had thought her own past was torture. This woman had lived centuries surrounded by evil on every side. Almost her entire life, she had been locked up, confined in the darkest and deepest dungeon imaginable. Up until a few nights ago, she had not seen the moon for over three hundred years. Skyler could not bear it. She struggled to breathe but she was drowning in this world of imprisonment.

Skyler could feel herself getting weaker. She had to get out of this emotional storm. She needed to find sanctuary. From the depths of her soul, she screamed for someone to hear her.

"_Skyler, you must focus on a happy, peaceful memory to combat the darkness," _Zohra called to her. _"I cannot find my lifemate with you in such distress." _

Skyler contemplated Zohra's words. Peaceful? When in her life had she ever felt peace? Even after Gabriel and Francesca had taken her in, she had never felt truly safe. Always the nightmares of her past returned to her, haunted her every waking moment, her every dream. And then she came here to the Carpathian Mountains and was put under guard 24/7 because she had a lifemate forbidden to claim her until she was at least 18. Peace? Ha! She'd never known peace.

"_Focus! You must have experienced something in your life that gave you peace. Try to remember. Just find one moment in your life when you were able to let it all go and just enjoy the here and now. Think!"_

Let it all go? Had she ever been able to do that? She tried to think. The waters of despair were pulling at her, the tide ever higher. It was then that she remembered. It was the evening of the Christmas party. The Dark Troubadours were on stage and Desari was singing a beautiful ballad of love and togetherness. Dimitri had asked her to dance. He had had no intention to claim her at that moment. He had been alone in a colorless, emotionless world for centuries and only wished to be near her. As frightened as Skyler had been, she had agreed. At first, all she could think about had been Dimitri's immense size and the threat he posed to her future. But once she relaxed a little, she had been able to lose herself in the music and just enjoy being in Dimitri's arms. She had never told him, but that was the only time in her entire life she had ever felt at home. Actually, that was **why** she'd never told him. In this raging storm of anguish, she shamelessly clung to that memory like she did her wolf. It always seemed to come back to Dimitri. As much as she hated the idea of being tied to a Carpathian male for all eternity, she couldn't hide this simple truth: to her, Dimitri was home. And only in his arms, did she feel truly at peace. As she used this knowledge to ride the tide of Zohra's past, she unknowingly reached for Dimitri and shared her revelations.

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The instant she felt Skyler relax, Zohra began her search for Dominic's branch on the Tree of Souls. It wasn't actually called that. Zohra called it the Tree of Souls because it seemed to her a network of interlocking branches, each branch a different soul. Different types of connections appeared differently, blood bonds the easiest to follow because the branches all stemmed from a central trunk. The bonds of love and friendship appeared as flowering vines that reached from one branch to wrap around another. Lifemates' bonds were the most unique as they were essentially a bond on every possible level. When she had been examining Skyler's branch, she noticed a flowering vine not only reaching to wrap around another branch, but taking root within. Skyler was not yet bound to her lifemate by the ritual words, but the strength of the pull between them was already incredibly intense. It was flourishing right before her eyes. The beauty of it was so great, Zohra could hardly believe that it would soon happen to her as well.

"_Not if we do not find Dominic's branch and send that message!" _

Denae's urgent reminder gave Zohra a burst of speed. She moved on, following her instincts until she arrived at Dominic's branch. There could be no doubt as she saw her own branch reaching desperately to embrace it. Zohra poured all of her will and desperation into the compulsion to her lifemate:

"**Come to me, Dominic. Come to me and I will sate your thirst. I am your lifemate. The light is not yet lost to you. Come to me."**

Zohra felt Skyler sway against her. Immediately she pulled out, swiping her tongue across the pinpricks. As she found herself leaving the Tree of Souls, she noticed her own branch reaching out to Skyler's, forming a new connection.

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Dimitri burst through the door like a man possessed. One look at his lifemate's gaunt, pale face was all it took. That woman would die tonight. Unclaimed female or not, she had hurt his lifemate. Fed from her veins! No one would hurt Skyler and live. No one!

In a move too fast for even most Carpathians to see, Dimitri grabbed the woman by the scruff of her cotton shirt and slammed her against the wall.

"HOW DARE YOU!" The words came out a growl as he bared his fangs.

The woman just stared at him. Dimitri detected no fear in her. Incredibly, he found amusement in her blue-violet gaze. Dimitri stared in shock as she met his gaze and smiled.

"So nice to meet you too, Uncle."

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I'm sure many of you saw that coming. Even if you did though, I'm sure you were wondering just how it would be revealed. This scene just popped into my head and I just had to use it. Let me know what you think of Chapter 5. I'll try to get the next one up in at least 10 days. I'm going to try making most of it in Dominic's point of view. No promises. What happens happens. TTFN.


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update. I tried to get it done before I went on vacation to visit my cousins, but I just wasn't inspired. Then when I got back I was feeling sick from a new medication the doctor put me on. Oh joy. But I'm feeling better now, and I finally finished chapter 6. I'm sorry to say that Dominic and Zohra still haven't met in this chapter. I had fully intended for it to happen but it was just getting too long. As it stands, this is the longest chapter yet. The two of them will meet in the next chapter for sure. Thank you all so much for being patient with me. I hope you enjoy. Now please read and review.

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**Chapter 6**

Uncle? Why was this woman calling him Uncle? If this was a ploy to get him to spare her life, it was a very poor one. With the exception of a sister who had died in infancy, Dimitri had never had any siblings.

"What are you talking about?" He questioned the woman, his hand still forcing her body against the wall. "I could not possibly be your uncle, and this lie will do nothing to gain my mercy. For even if we were related by blood the very fact that you have harmed my lifemate makes you my enemy. I have no reason to let you live."

The woman just looked up at him, seemingly hurt by his words. Her eyes showed signs of tears. "My name is Zohra and although it sounds impossible, I am in fact your niece. When you were but five years old, your elder sister Katya was taken by the dark mage Xavier and forced to bear a child for one of his sick experiments. I am the result. Regardless of the fact that she did not choose to have me, my mother loved me with her entire being. She reminded me of that every night as she told me stories of her life before her capture. She told me of her family and the rest of the Carpathian people. She spoke of you often."

Older sister? He never had an older sister. Annabel was the only sister he had ever had and she had died as an infant when Dimitri reached his hundredth year. "I never had an older sister. You must be mistaken."

"I am not. I have the ability to see connections among people. Blood is the easiest kind to see and there can be no doubt that you are the brother my mother spoke of. Even if I did not have this talent, you look much like her. You even have the same icy blue eyes. Katya Kovalevsky was your sister, and she loved you dearly."

"_She's telling the truth, Dimitri. I saw it."_ Skyler's mental voice penetrated the chaos of his mind.

"_What are you saying little one? How could you have seen it? And why are you defending her? She hurt you."_

"_When she fed from me there was a bit of an emotional and mental exchange. I saw some of her memories, and I suspect she saw some of mine. And yes, she did hurt me, but that was not her intention. She needed my blood to find her lifemate and I gave it willingly."_

"_Willingly?" _Dimitri was dumbfounded_. "Why on earth would you give your blood willingly? And to a stranger? She didn't even have the decency to distance you from it. I felt your pain, lubouf maya. You were in agony. If I had not held you to me you would have fallen back inside your mind. Why should I spare her?"_

"_She is innocent of any crime. The pain I felt was Zohra's, not my own. She's so lonely Dimitri. She's always been alone. She needed my help to save her lifemate. How could I deny her when I know that, were it me in danger, you would use all resources at your disposal to save me? Let her go Dimitri. Please. She's been through enough."_

"You're speaking with your lifemate aren't you? Has she confirmed what I just told you?"

Dimitri turned his attention back to the woman he had pinned against the wall. "Yes. She has. Skyler also says you needed her blood to locate your lifemate. Is that true?"

"Yes. And if it worked, Dominic should be here soon. I apologize. I never would have taken from her had it not been necessary; I made that clear to her from the beginning."

"Dominic?"

"Yes. Dominic Dragonseeker is my lifemate. He is losing the battle with the beast and as Skyler is of his line I was able to find him through her blood. That is why I took so much. I was not simply feeding for nourishment. Please try to understand. I know if Skyler were in danger, you would do everything in your power to save her, no matter what it took. I did my best to block her pain. Unfortunately, my best isn't much at the moment."

Dimitri released some of his grip on the woman. "You say I had an older sister taken when I was five years of age. I know I was a mere babe, but why do I not even remember my parents speaking of her?"

Dimitri felt a stirring in his mind. _"There is a foggy area in your mind." _Dimitri heard Zohra's voice through a mental path never before explored._ "Your parents must have blurred the few memories you had of your sister in order to keep you from obsessing over her absence. They probably planned to take away the block when they deemed you old enough, but they died before that happened."_

Dimitri answered back on the same path. _"I believe you. You would need to have my blood to speak on a private path and as we have never made an exchange, you must be a relative. However this does not give me reason to trust you. But it seems that even after your brutal feeding, my lifemate still defends you. That must mean something. As for me, you must prove your loyalties. If you hurt her again, I will not hesitate to kill you." _Dimitri released his niece and stepped away.

"Thank you." Zohra turned to look at Skyler. One didn't need a connection with the girl to see that she had taken too much. Turning back to Dimitri she said, "Your lifemate has need of you. Please go tend to her or I shall never forgive myself."

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The sound of a laboring heart woke Gabriel from his deep slumber. Skyler was in trouble. He burst from the soil, his lifemate right behind him. They found Skyler in the guest room with the woman Francesca had been healing. Skyler was on the bed. And she was sucking blood from Dimitri's chest!

"_That pup's gone too far this time! I don't care if he is our daughter's lifemate. I'll skin him alive!"_

"Gabriel don't!" Francesca cried as she raced to stop him. But Gabriel charged into the room in a fit of rage.

As he released Skyler from his thrall, Dimitri turned just in time to see Gabriel's fist coming at him. But then something amazing happened. Gabriel's fist stopped mid-swing as his body was incased in a glowing silvery light. Gabriel felt his rage just seep right out of him, leaving him with a feeling of intense vulnerability. Gabriel found himself frozen in place. He struggled to free himself from this unnatural hold, but his efforts were futile. He was completely at the mercy of whomever or whatever was creating this strange glow.

"You will not hurt him."

Gabriel watched as a woman came out of the shadows. It was the same woman Francesca had been treating, except it wasn't. Her golden locks gleamed silver and her skin seemed to shimmer like moonlight. Her eyes had lost their pupils and turned completely opalescent. As the woman made eye contact with him, Gabriel felt the last of his tension drain away. He looked at his fist hovering inches away from Dimitri's jaw and found himself wondering why he had wanted to hurt him in the first place.

"Who are you? And what have you done to my lifemate?" Francesca asked the woman in both awe and fear.

The woman turned to her. "I am Denae, guardian of the Carpathian Soul Walker, Zohra Kovalevsky. In order to protect her I have taken temporary control of her body. As to your lifemate, I have not harmed him. I have merely taken away his rage. He was never really angry to begin with, only afraid for his daughter." She turned back to Gabriel. "No one likes to feel fear. Warriors such as you view it as a weakness that must be conquered, so you cover it up with anger and direct your rage for battle. But this is not a battle to be fought with your fists or your Carpathian abilities. In fact, this battle you seem insistent upon initiating is only delaying the true battle you must fight with your own instincts. Fear is not your enemy hunter. No. Sometimes, fear just means you care for someone." Gabriel felt his muscles loosen and his arm return to his side. Dimitri moved to the corner of the room as the woman moved to stand in front of Gabriel. "You are so quick to jump to conclusions, without finding out the facts. Dimitri was supplying the girl with blood, yes. But he was not the cause of the initial blood loss. In order to locate our lifemate, Dominic Dragonseeker, and bring about his return, we needed the blood of his line. Skyler bears the mark of the dragon. She gave willingly, knowing we would not have taken from her had there been another option. Since the blood was not only for nourishment, we required more than a standard feeding. Unsure of the effects of an exchange, Dimitri gladly replenished her for us. And know this: when your daughter was caught in a storm of darkness while we fed, Dimitri was the only thing that held her to reality. So before you continue this battle with Skyler's lifemate, ask yourself, is it worth your daughter's sanity?"

After a few seconds, Gabriel realized the light encasing him had retreated and he had control of himself again. He turned to look at Skyler, now asleep on the bed. Her arm seemed to be reaching for something. Gabriel followed that arm with his eyes until they landed on Dimitri. It was then he came to an epiphany. He couldn't keep Skyler sheltered forever. He could admit he could care less what Dimitri felt, but it wasn't just Dimitri who needed Skyler. Skyler needed Dimitri, and by keeping her from him, Gabriel had just been delaying Skyler's recovery. Then Gabriel did something he never thought he would do. He bowed his head to his future son-in-law and pleaded forgiveness.

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Dimitri was dumbfounded. In just a few minutes it seemed everything in his world had changed. For the better? He didn't know. But Gabriel Daratrazanoff, legendary warrior, was humbling himself in front of a Carpathian over ten centuries his junior! What exactly was his niece that she could bring about this change in one of the ancients? Dimitri had never seen anything like it. All he could do was stare.

"Do you forgive my lifemate's pigheadedness or not? I can pretty much guarantee he won't ask again," Francesca said. "In fact, I can't believe he's asking now."

Dimitri managed to break through the fog in his mind to say one simple word. "Yes."

Francesca turned to the woman. "You're a miracle worker you know that? I don't know how you did it and frankly I don't care. Thank you. Gabriel was without emotion for almost two thousand years before we bonded. He still can't always handle it. Thank you for calming him."

The woman nodded her head in acknowledgement. "You're welcome."

Then all at once, the glow emanating from the woman was snuffed out. The woman blinked as the color returned to her eyes. She grabbed onto the wall as if to steady herself. "Whoa. That was strange. I didn't know Denae could borrow my body like that. It was rather disconcerting." The woman released the wall and looked back at them. "Why are you all staring at me?"

It was Dimitri who spoke. "You don't remember what happened, do you?"

"Not completely. There was a lot of tension but then it all went away with a burst of light. That's all I can remember. Why? Did Denae do something to hurt one of you?"

"No Zohra," Dimitri said. "Quite the opposite."

"I don't understand. What happened?"

"Don't worry about it," Dimitri told her.

"Zohra, isn't it?" Zohra turned at Francesca's words.

"Yes?"

"I feel I should tell you that the prince has ordered you be kept under guard," Francesca explained. "We've been told that you are not to leave the house. With all the attacks lately, you must understand that we must be especially careful with strangers. Please work with us on this. I'm sure you'll be off lockdown soon enough."

Zohra nodded. "I completely understand. I would feel the same if I were in your situation. Just please promise me I will not be restrained." Zohra lowered her head. "I can't take that again."

It was Gabriel who spoke this time. "We have no wish to harm you. You will be treated as a lady should. We shall make sure you have everything you need to feel comfortable."

Zohra blinked away tears as she met his gaze. "Thank you."

We need to go take Skyler back to her room and check on the baby," Francesca announced.

"Dimitri," Gabriel said. "Will you please stay with Zohra? I do not wish to leave her alone."

"Yes. I had planned on doing just that."

"Good."

Gabriel gathered Skyler into his arms and followed Francesca down the hall. Gabriel turned to look at his lifemate. _"I am not pigheaded."_

Francesca smirked at him._ "Of course you are. All men are. But I love you anyway."_

"_You'll pay for that, woman."_

"_I can't wait."_

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With just the two of them, Dimitri took a good look at his niece. She was tall and slender—the standard build of a Carpathian. Her eyes were a deep blue-violet that when gazed upon seemed to strip a man of all his faculties. Her hair was a light golden blonde, which seemed to shimmer with silver. Her skin was flawless except for a thick pinkish line running across her throat, no doubt a brand from the golden collar she had arrived in. She was truly beautiful. But she wasn't just Carpathian, was she? No, that glowing light and that guardian proved it. His niece was something different. As he looked back into Zohra's eyes, Dimitri recalled something the guardian had mentioned.

"What is a Soul Walker?"

"Excuse me?" Zohra looked about as confused as he felt.

"The one who took you over—Denae? She said she was the guardian of the Carpathian Soul Walker, Zohra Kovalevsky. That's you. I know what a Carpathian is, obviously, but I've never heard of a Soul Walker."

Zohra looked to the floor for a few seconds. When she raised her head she said, "I don't really know. Xavier called me that. He said my soul had form. I never really knew what he meant."

"Well it must have something to do with your Guardian. Carpathians don't have those. Your father must have been something we've never heard of."

Zohra sat down on the bed and was silent for several minutes. Finally she looked up and said, "I was an experiment. I'm probably the only one of my kind. But I'm hoping to find a home here. I know you don't know me, Uncle Dimitri, and you really have no reason to trust me; but please, we both could use a family. I think we've been alone too long."

Dimitri once again met his niece's gaze. "I wish I could have known her. From the way you describe her, Katya must have been an incredible person."

"She was. I'm sorry you do not remember her. Seeing as how she died at the hands of a vampire when I was 26, I can hardly picture her face any more either." Zohra got up and went to stand in front of her uncle. "Mother felt horrible that she wasn't there to watch you grow. She loved your beautiful face and the way your eyes lit up when you smiled." Zohra nodded her head towards the door she'd seen the others exit. Lightly, she touched Dimitri's shadowed jaw. _"I can see it's been a very long time since you've had reason to smile. Don't worry, Uncle Dimitri. Your connection with Skyler grows stronger every moment. I promise you a time will come when she will be ready for you. You already have a place in her heart." _Zohra's touch sent a curious warmth through Dimitri's soul. _"She needs you Uncle, much more than she will ever admit. Do not give up. You must hold on." _Then Zohra wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.

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Outside, the last rays of sunlight fell past the horizon. A giant bird of prey took to the sky and raced towards the village. Quickly the raptor flew over the hills and through the trees, until it reached a single house. Here it would find its food.

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Well that's it for Chapter 6. I'll try and get Chapter 7 up as soon as I can. Now please. Review!


	8. Chapter 7

Authors Note: Hey I'm back and if I do say so myself, better than ever. I apologize for the delay. My computer contracted a major virus that shut down all its functions. It took me weeks before I could get back on it. The desktop was gone! I finally found a back door that enabled me to install the anti-virus software I needed. FYI: Don't open anything on Facebook that says "amazing video." It is not from your friend. It is a virus. Anyway, after I finally had access to my computer again, _I_ contracted a virus. The flu virus that is. It was so horrible it lasted a week and a half. I still have the cough but unfortunately it may still be there at Christmas. Ugh! Anyway in all that time I had numerous chat sessions with my Beta murgatroid_98 who was a big help in getting my whole chapter outlined. Thing is, as I was writing it, I realized how much stuff I was trying to cram into it. When I got to page 5 and realized I still had a whole lot left to do, so I decided I would break this up into two chapters. I found a good place to stop, did some tweaking and voila! I would like to inform you ahead of time that I am not very good at action sequences. I did my best, but if you still find it lacking, I apologize. I'm better at dialogue. So without any further delay, the moment you've all been waiting for: Dominic and Zohra are finally going to lay eyes on each other! Don't forget to review!

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**Chapter 7**

Within the body of the raptor, Dominic had only one thought, one purpose—to sate his unquenchable thirst. Night after night he had risen, his body screaming for nourishment, yet nothing would assuage his hunger. But this night, within that small house, he would go to her. Only she would quench his unholy thirst. Yet as he approached, he saw another—one who held her tenderly as a lover would. His thirst for her blood suddenly replaced with a stronger need to kill, Dominic rammed through the glass while simultaneously changing back to his true form. Dominic saw the other male set the female behind him for protection. _Mine,_ the beast screamed in his head. _Only mine. _With the beast roaring within him, Dominic snatched the man from the female and slammed him into the concrete wall.

"No!" the woman cried. But her words could not penetrate the dark recesses of his mind.

"You touched her!" he growled at the male, bearing his fangs. As the male began to shift to mist, Dominic bit into his neck leaving a trail of red for him to follow.

As the male rematerialized in front of the female, he pushed her back against the wall in attempts to keep her safe from the ensuing battle. "Zohra go!" he said as he fought off Dominic's next attack. "It's not safe! He has death in his eyes."

"No, Dimitri. Dominic won't hurt me, but with the way he is now he won't hesitate to rip out your heart. Get out now why you still can!"

"No! I won't leave you!"

_Dimitri's unwanted act of protection will be his last, _Dominic thought. Sniffing the air, he caught the scent of the male's blood dripping from the wound he had inflicted. The bloodlust was undeniable. _Drain him dry, but let him suffer first. He must feel every agonizing blow._ Dominic shifted into a leopard and leapt onto Dimitri before he could so much as blink. Using the cat's stiletto-sharp claws, he went into a frenzy, raking every inch of Dimitri's body, every tear designed to cause as much pain as possible without allowing a mortal blow.

Blood flowed from dozens of scratches. Dimitri tried to shift to mist and attack Dominic from behind, but he couldn't change fast enough. He could hear Zohra screaming at him to get away, but he knew he couldn't leave his niece to be slaughtered by Dominic. Dimitri did not wish to hurt his niece's lifemate, but Dominic had no such qualms. He seemed to be in a blind rage. If Zohra's shouts could not bring him back to himself, Dominic might be to far gone to stop. But for Zohra's sake, he had to try. Dimitri rolled away from the leopard, reaching for its tail, but Dominic was already slipping out of his grasp, shifting back to himself in a move that landed him at Dimitri's neck.

As he went for the kill, Dominic was ripped off his prey and thrown into the wall by an unseen hand. He looked up to find the legendary Gabriel, his twin Lucien right behind him. "How dare you attack my daughter's lifemate?" Gabriel raged. Before Gabriel could strike, his twin pulled him back.

"Stop this! Don't let the blood of the soulless consume you," Lucien said to Dominic. "You are not a vampire! Rise above this madness!"

As Dominic began to attack the twin hunters, Zohra called out to them. "He's confused! The vampire blood coursing through his veins is feeding his rage! I'm his lifemate! On some level he thinks he's saving me from you. It's me he wants! Get out of here and he won't fight you! I know it!"

"Yeah," Gabriel said as he dodged another blow. "He'll come after you and then what will you do?"

"You idiots! Of course he'll come to me! That's what I want!"

Just as Zohra was about to insert herself between the warriors, a huge tigress jumped in front of her. Another Carpathian warrior was right behind it. The tigress pounced on Dominic while the male joined the fray.

Dimitri tried to return to the fight, but he swayed from blood loss. He'd already lost much to Skyler and he had yet to feed this night. But as a man of honor, he had no choice but to fight to the end. If there was any chance to stop Dominic, they would need every warrior in the vicinity. _"I love you, Skyler," _he called to his lifemate before charging at the Dragonseeker. Dominic anticipated the attack, slamming his fist into Dimitri's gut. He then grabbed him and threw him at the tigress with enough force to slam them both into the wall. The tigress shifted into a red-headed Carpathian woman and pushed Dimitri off of her as the fight raged on. She looked down to see the male's blood all over her leather battle outfit. He was fading fast and Dominic showed no sign of slowing. She ran back into the battle. They had to save Dominic from himself.

Zohra looked on as the hunters dispatched blow after blow. There seemed no end to the fighting. _"Denae what do I do? We're losing him!"_

The reply was distant and pained. _"I know Zohra. He's turning. I wish I didn't have to leave you too."_

Zohra recalled Denae's earlier words. _"A guardian cannot exist inside a broken soul. If Dominic were to turn, I would leave you too. And you would be truly alone."_

Zohra looked up at the chaos. Her lifemate didn't know it, but he was fighting for her. She would not lose him now! A scream ripped from her throat. A cry so piercing it could be heard for miles. Her soul roared for its other half and not a single living thing could escape its agony. For a brief moment Dominic looked up, a glimmer of recognition in his eyes as he met her gaze. Just as swiftly it vanished in a sea of red as he turned back to fighting, leaving Zohra to wonder if she'd only imagined it.

Zohra met the eyes of the red-head. _Natalya._ She knew her on sight. Using her blood connection to Razvan, she spoke to her. _"Natalya I need your help. My power is to control light. I could blind them long enough to stop this fighting. But I need a source. Can you move this outside?"_

Natalya turned and met Zohra's gaze. _"You are the one my brother sent."_

"_He helped me escape, yes."_

Natalya nodded _"I don't think I could move these men at all. But I might be able to cause a light show of my own."_

"_No. Well yes you probably could, but my light would not only blind them it would calm them. I don't know why, but something about the moon always infuses my power with a calming influence."_

"_All right. Well, if I can't bring you to the light, I'll bring the light to you." _Natalya raised her arms and began chanting. A great gust of wind began to build. A tornado was coming.

* * *

"Falcon, the baby is doing fine now. Stop worrying."

"Sara, you know the baby can't take the strain. You've only got a few weeks left until you give birth. We can't risk losing it."

Sara met her lifemate's gaze. "I know. But I couldn't risk losing you either. You needed me last night Falcon. This pregnancy has us all frazzled. I just can't wait to hold her in my arms. I also can't help but worry what kind of life I'll be bringing her into. The other kids are human. They have it bad enough. But the baby will be Carpathian like us. I don't know how to take care of a Carpathian baby. I'm scared Falcon. So very scared." Sara let out a small laugh. "Hello pot, I'm kettle. Here I am telling you to stop worrying and then I proceed to tell you how worried I am."

Falcon gathered her into his arms. "We'll get through this, just like we always do. We just have to have faith."

Sara giggled.

"What?" Falcon gave his lifemate a puzzled look.

"I told you this family needed to go to a church."

"Sara." The look he gave her was clearly a reprimand.

Sara doubled over clutching her belly as a piercing shriek reached her ear. Falcon grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms as he made eye contact with his lifemate. _"What was that? Is the baby all right?"_

"_That scream. It was the woman you were yelling at over at the inn, I'm sure of it. She sounded like her heart was being ripped out of her chest—kind of like how I would feel if I lost you. The baby felt it too. Didn't you hear it?"_

"_Yes. But I didn't feel it like you did. Is the baby all right?" _Falcon repeated.

"_Yeah, I think so. She just didn't like the pain. I think she's an empath like Emma. She's very fussy when someone's upset. This was unbearable. I can't feel it anymore though."_

"_I'll contact Gregori and see what I can find out."_

As Falcon searched the common mental path for news of the disturbance, all the kids came rushing in from another room. "Sara, Falcon, its scary outside!" Chrissy said.

"Yeah," Jace said. "The wind is too strong. I'll blow away."

Sara reached down to hug her young son. "It's just the wind, Jace. You aren't going to blow away."

Tempest came out of the bathroom with Blythe clutching her leg. She'd been helping out with the children lately as a crash course in parenting. After all, she'd be having a son herself in a few months. "Actually, that may be closer to the truth than you think. Take a look outside."

Falcon opened the heavy drapes just in time for them all to see a tornado lift the roof off of Francesca and Gabriel's house.

"Dang!" Tempest said as Blythe buried her face in the folds of her shirt. "It's a good thing we're Carpathians. I'm pretty sure homeowner's insurance doesn't cover random acts of magic."

"_Darius?" _Tempest needed to know he was safe.

"_I'm with Gregori. We just saw the tornado. There is some kind of battle going on at Gabriel's house. Dominic has returned and he's attacking our own. We're on our way to help. Promise me you'll stay where you are."_

"_For once I'll follow that order. Just promise me you'll come home to me when this battle is over."_

Tempest felt a pause. She was about to repeat herself when Darius answered back. _"I love you Tempest."_

There was pain in that statement. It was as if her lifemate wasn't sure he could make it back alive. Tempest's heart screamed. _"Darius you promise me! Never have you had anything but confidence in yourself. You are damn good at what you do. Promise me you'll come home!" _Tempest waited for a response but was greeted with silence. _"Damnit answer me!"_

"_Stay safe for me."_ That terse reply was followed by an abrupt block on their connection. Try as she might Tempest could not break through to speak with her lifemate. Gently pushing Blythe away from her, Tempest reached behind her until she found an armchair. She practically fell into the seat as she started to sob. "Don't leave me," she whispered into her hands.

Sara looked up at Falcon, a question in her gaze. _I have to go, love. Dominic has returned. They need my help. He…didn't return as he left."_

Sara watched as Tempest hugged her extended stomach as if to hold her baby to her. Turning back to her lifemate, Sara grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him like it could be the last time. She poured her entire being into the kiss—all her love and faith in him. As she broke from the kiss there were tears in her eyes. "Be careful, Falcon."

"I love you, Sara." He turned to the children. "I have to go help our friends with a big problem. I hope to be back soon."

All seven children ran up to embrace him in a fierce hug. Falcon was reluctant to let them go. As he walked out the door into the storm, he realized how incredibly lucky he was to have so much love in his life. He just hoped he'd be able to come back to it.

* * *

As the moon cast its light upon her, Zohra found herself infused with a power she hadn't felt in centuries. She'd almost forgotten it. She would have if she hadn't escaped. Xavier had known about her affinity for celestial light. That's why he never let her go outside unless it was a new moon. Stars alone could not provide her with such strength. She let the power of the moon's natural light flow through her, filling every cell with light. She could feel her skin start to tingle as she soaked up the moon's rays. It was a full moon tonight. Perfect for what she was about to do. Zohra held out her hands and poured a concentrated beam of light straight at her lifemate. The beam was so bright even Zohra had to squint. As the light dimmed, she finally looked upon the men her lifemate had been battling. She counted at least seven warriors barely clinging to life, they were so badly beaten. Zohra couldn't control a shudder. Her lifemate had done this.

The men seemed dazed and off-balance. The calming influence of the moon would not last long. Zohra looked to her uncle. Skyler was on the floor sobbing over her lifemate's motionless body. Her connection power was enough to see he still lived. His soul branch would have shriveled if he were dead. _"He's alive, Skyler. He just shut down his heart to halt the bleeding."_

The girl looked up at her. _"Thank you for that."_

Zohra nodded. Finally she looked upon her lifemate. He was on the verge of collapse. Blood covered nearly every inch of him. Zohra could not begin to guess how much of it was his. As she met his eyes, she saw something she could not identify. It looked as if it wasn't just Dominic looking at her. She sensed no outside influence. _"Denae what am I seeing. Is it the blood in his system? Am I seeing the beast battling the moon's influence?"_

"_No Zohra." _There was awe in her words. _"What you are seeing is something I never thought possible. We are not the last of our kind. Dominic is a soul walker. His dragon is my mate."_

"_What?"_

"_I can save them Zohra. I can save our mates. But I can't do it in this body."_

"_What do you mean Denae. How is Dominic a soul walker and how do you expect to save him outside my body?"_

"_There isn't time for that Zohra. Later I will tell you everything. But right now you have to trust me. Do you trust me Zohra?"_

"_Yes." _The reply was instinctive. Zohra didn't need to ponder it; she knew she trusted Denae with her life and her soul. Most importantly, she trusted her with Dominic's life and soul.

"_Then it's time you find out what a soul walker truly is. Before when I took over your body, I was merely speaking through you. Now I must take over completely. You will be aware of everything this time. I will hide nothing from you. I've been sheltering you too long. Forgive me."_

"_Denae what are you talking about? Forgive you for what?"_

"_I am going to have to transform you. To save our lifemate I have to take my true form. Long ago when soul walkers were still thriving, they would hold ceremonies and rituals to find their soul form. The others in the community would help each person through the change. They had help, Zohra. We will have none."_

"_Denae tell me! Will this transformation be painful? Why are you so afraid?"_

"_A guardian has a true form—one he or she may take in times of great need. The form is different for each individual soul walker. Normally I am in the back of your mind, my form lying dormant. To take form, you would be pushed back as the change takes over and my consciousness comes to the forefront. If you don't know what to expect, the first change can be very frightening and possibly painful. I only wish I could prepare you. I don't even know what form I would take. The choice is up to you. I cannot take form without your permission. What do you say Zohra?"_

Once again her answer came without hesitation._ "Save our lifemate."_

"_Okay, Zohra. Just try not to fight it. Whatever you feel, embrace it."_

"_I'll do my best_." As Zohra felt her consciousness pulled inward, she felt a power building outside herself. Zohra watched through eyes that were slowly becoming distant. She couldn't help but panic at what she saw. Both Natalya and Skyler were clutching their hips as they pulled themselves to their feet. Their eyes were glazed as they took up positions around Dominic who was now writhing in pain on the floor. They raised their arms up to the moon and began to chant one phrase over and over— "The dragon must not die."

Zohra had no more time ponder this strange occurrence as a wave of pain went through every inch of her body. The change had begun.

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Well that's it for now. For all my loyal readers out there I would like to start a little contest. When I read Dark Slayer, I kept wondering what happened to Sara's baby. I found out that although it wasn't mentioned in the book, Christine Feehan mentioned in an interview that Sara had lost her baby. That is unacceptable to me. So, due to the fact that this fic takes place between Dark Curse and Dark Slayer, and the fact that I can write pretty much anything I want because it's my fic, I'm going to have her give birth near the end of the story. I won't give you any more details than that because even I haven't decided yet what will happen. The contest I'm referring to will be to name her baby. I have a backup name in case nothing else works out, but I'd like to get my readers involved. Now remember that it's a girl, so I don't wanna hear anyone suggest I name the baby Bill. If you'd like to participate in this contest, feel free to suggest a name after you review a chapter. I'm looking for a first and middle name by the way. If I like your suggestion, I might just use it. There is plenty of time to place your entries because it won't be for many chapters yet until the baby has to be born. If you have any more questions, PM me. Thanks for reading. Now go ahead and tell me what you think.


	9. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I am so so sorry it's taken me so long to update. My computer crashed. I was told i would need to wipe the entire hard drive to fix it. It was cheaper to just buy a new CPU. So anyway, I got a new computer, but I had lost all my previous work. All my files, all my stories, gone. It's horrible. Luckily most of it was already uploaded, but there are still some things I'll never get back. I finally got my new computer earlier this month and for the most part, I've been trying to reconstruct lost files and figure out what i still have in hard copies or on CD-ROM. I just started typing this up last week. So it is with my deepest regret that it took me over two months to upload chapter 8. As it turns out, this chapter is not the conclusion of last chapter. I had planned on it, but when I realized that the second half of what I was going to write seemed to take away from the drama of the first half, I decided to move the rest to another chapter. So as it stands, this next very emotional chapter is all Skyler's take on what happed in chapter 7. I really intend for her and Dimitri to be a secondary storyline in my fanfic, not only because Dimitri is Zohra's uncle, but because I love the dynamic Skyler's character brings into the fold. I can guarantee you will be seeing a lot more of them in the chapters to come. There is one more thing I would like to mention and I actually hesitated to put this in here. But seeing as how it is my fic, I reserve the right to do almost anything I want. So here it is.

**This chapter and many more following express religious views which are entirely my own and do not reflect the views of Christine Feehan nor the administrators.**

I use my Christian faith in a lot of my writing and this is not an exception. Many chapters beyond this may stir some contraversy in some readers. If you insist upon continuing, I urge you not to pass judgment until you reach the end. My goal is not to offend anyone, but to express morals. You will need to read to the end to discover them. So with that being said, I give to you the latest installment in my fic Dark Salvation. Enjoy.

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Chapter 8

_"I love you Skyler." _Skyler was forced awake by a terrifying sense of foreboding. Dimitri's declaration of love sounded more like a final farewell.

"Dimitri," she whispered. A great sense of urgency seized her and pushed herself to sit up. Groaning, she clutched her head as spots danced in front of her eyes.

"Skyler!" Loving arms surrounded her and she looked up to find Francesca kneeling at her side. "What are you doing awake? You need to lie back down; your body needs to heal."

Skyler psychically reached out to her lifemate only to find empty space. Desperately she tried again and again. Finally she got through only to find him physically exhausted and ready to collapse from lack of blood. He would lose that battle if he continued. Tears fell from her eyes as she sent him a desperate cry. _Dimitri, you'll die if you keep this up. Please, stop this and come back to me. I can't bear to lose you."_ But her words met an empty space.

"Don't leave me," she cried aloud. Skyler looked around to find herself in their underground safe room. Tamera slept in a small crib in the corner, completely oblivious to the dangers outside the safeguarded chamber. Skyler met her Carpathian mother's gaze. "Why are we down here? What battle is going on above us?"

"Dominic has returned. He seems to have gone mad. Your father made me promise to keep you girls safe while he joined the other warriors."

"I can't just lie here while Dimitri gets himself killed!"

Again, Francesca held her closely. "Dimitri will be fine. You need to rest. Even if you were a fighter, in your weakened state, you'd only be a hindrance."

Skyler pushed Francesca away with a strength she shouldn't have been capable of. "I'm not losing him," she exclaimed as she pushed herself out of the bed. "Not yet."

As Skyler ran out the door, Francesca silently cursed herself for not setting safeguards on their side of the door. After placing a few more strong safeguards around Tamara's crib, Francesca ran to stop her ever-determined daughter from getting herself killed.

-----------------

When Skyler emerged from the underground chambers, she discovered not a battle, but a war. It was a bloodbath. Dominic had returned and he had indeed gone mad. The rage powering his attacks was so incredibly great, she nearly collapsed from it. But she stood her ground, for she saw beyond the front lines, a body lying in a pool of blood. Broken and beaten, he hardly resembled his former self. Countless scratches covered his body and his beautiful face looked like it had met with a sledgehammer. But there was no denying who this man was, for it seemed as if an iron weight had settled itself upon Skyler's heart. "Dimitri," she whispered.

Skyler wanted to hate Zohra for bring Dominic here. In his berserker rage he had all but slaughtered the love of her life; and yes Dimitri was the love of her life and would be for all eternity. She wanted to hate Zohra so much. But Skyler was incapable of hate, especially toward one so much like herself. The call of a lifemate was inescapable, and Zohra had only followed her heart to save the soul of an honorable man. It was that very same call, which prompted Skyler to run straight across the room, dodging every attack unintentionally thrown her way, to kneel beside her beloved. Her soul screamed for its other half. At the same time, Zohra's desperate cry reached her ears and her heart. No, she could not hate Zohra. The worst she could muster was pity. Skyler looked down at the mangled body of her lifemate. He wasn't breathing! Ignoring the massive amounts of blood, she ripped off what was left of his shirt and pressed her ear up against his chest. No heartbeat! Carpathians had been known to stop their hearts to help with healing, but Dimitri looked to far gone to accomplish it.

"No," she whispered as sobs racked her body. "He can't be dead. Not now. I need him here with me. I love him. I never got the chance to tell him. He can't die! I won't let him!" As Skyler felt the room shake and the wind howl, as the very roof was ripped from the house and nature itself seemed to scream of death, she wrapped her arms around Dimitri and held him close. Skyler looked up, and in the middle of this bloody war, she shouted at the heavens and prayed someone was listening.

"You can't have him! I won't let you take him, you hear me. You claim to be a loving father! Well let me tell you something, God! Neither one of my earthly fathers were very loving and I've pretty much given up on you! But if you have any shred of tenderness in you, if you care at all that this one man is the only person on this entire planet who's ever brought me joy, you will let him live! He's taught me to love again. I tried to keep it safe but he's stolen my heart anyway. I promise I'll accept his claim when the time comes. I _will_ be ready by my eighteenth birthday. I'll accept his claim now if it will keep him with me in this life, just don't take him from me! Please."

By now Skyler was soaked in Dimitri's blood. It was no longer flowing but much had covered him. None of this mattered to her. The battle meant nothing. Dimitri was the only thing that mattered. Skyler couldn't imagine a world without him in it. She caressed Dimitri's battered face and kissed his brow. "Vivre pour moi, mon amour. Don't you leave me."

It was then a flash of light encompassed the room and a great stillness settled over the battle. The fighting had ceased, and the warriors seemed dazed. Zohra's voice pushed past the haze of despair and lifted the weight right off of her heart. _"He's alive, Skyler. He merely shut down his heart to stop the bleeding." _It seemed her lifemate had not been too far gone after all.

Skyler turned to meet Zohra's gaze. The half-Carpathian seemed bathed in light, almost like an angel. _"Thank you for that."_ Zohra nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Skyler didn't know if God had answered her prayers, but still she had made a promise. She had vowed she would be ready for Dimitri's claim by her eighteenth birthday, and she would not let him down. There had to be a way to love him fully. She would find it.

Francesca made her way to her daughter's side. She grabbed onto Skyler and embraced her like she'd thought she was dead. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

Skyler met her mother's gaze. "Save him."

Francesca looked down at her daughter's lifemate. He seemed beyond repair. "I'll do my best." As she reached to carry Dimitri to the underground chambers, Skyler grabbed her arm.

"No. You'll do better. He must live. I made a promise to one day love him in every way he deserves. I don't intend to break that promise."

Normally Francesca would have scolded her daughter for being so obstinate, but the call of a lifemate was a powerful thing, and Skyler gave much more of her heart than most. She just nodded, and after making sure Skyler followed behind her, rushed to tend to the fallen warrior.

As Skyler stepped around the still dazed warriors, she felt a burning at her hip. Her mark, it felt like it was on fire. She clutched at it with one hand and struggled to stay upright. It was then Skyler noticed the glow emanating from both Zohra and Dominic. She looked to see Natalya also clutching her hip. A presence seemed to invade her mind, threatened to gain control. Skyler built up her psychic defenses. Yet as she struggled to push back the burning pain and push the intruder out of her mind, she discovered she knew two things to be absolutely true. The first, what Zohra and Dominic felt now was not just the pull of a lifemate, it was the need to save a species. The second, this presence in her mind was something so ancient and so pure, no living being could have preceded it. She had no hope of winning this battle, and whatever it was, it needed her for a greater purpose. Armed with this new knowledge, and with the utmost faith in Francesca's ability to heal Dimitri, Skyler gave in to the presence.

Soon, Skyler knew one thing and one thing only. _The dragon must not die. _No Dragonseeker had ever turned. Dominic would not be the first.

* * *

**Vive pour moi, mon amour. (French) -- Live for me, my love. **Skyler grew up in Paris, so I thought I'd put a little French in there.

Well that's pretty much it for chapter 8. I have pretty much the whole of chapter 9 finished in my head, so I should have it uploaded much quicker than my past chapters. For my loyal readers, the contest to name Sara's baby is still on, so keep those names coming. Please review.


	10. Chapter 9

**FYI: This chapter starts at the beginning of Chapter 7 and continues past where Chapter 8 left off.**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Syndil, I never said I didn't want to have a child with you," Barack told his lifemate as they entered the healing cave. "I just said that at this particular moment in time, your work with the soil is too important to risk you getting pregnant! Carpathian pregnancies are extremely risky. I could never condone you expending your energy healing the soil if you were carrying our child inside of your womb."

Syndil looked at her lifemate. "We've been over this. I know my limits. I am fully confident that I could do both. Besides, don't you want to be a father? I love you so much Barack. Is it too much to ask to bring a child into this world with your eyes and your tremendously gracious heart?"

Barack reached out a hand to cup Syndil's cheek. "Syndil, my love, don't you know that whenever I see Dayan and Corrinne with little Jennifer it fills me with such envy? I would love nothing more than to have a child with your beautiful smile, but I can't risk losing you. Maybe in a few years we'll have enough help that we can try for that baby we both want, but for now, can we not just enjoy what we already have?"

With her heart in her eyes, Syndil reached her arms around her lifemate's neck and drew him in for a kiss. When their lips parted, she looked back at Barack with amusement.

"What's so funny?" Barack looked affronted.

Syndil chuckled and gave him a hug. "You didn't much seem to mind my wanting a child last night when I was playing champion bull rider."

Barack pushed her back and held her at arms length. With a growl he said, "You promised you'd never bring that up again."

Syndil laughed again. "Hey, it's your own fault, love. You just had to impress the ladies that time we went to Texas."

"Okay. First of all, I swear that bull was possessed. It wasn't responding to any of my mental commands. Second of all, that was thirty years ago! Do you have to keep referring to that one unfortunate incident just so you can embarrass me? I mean honestly Syndil! I swear if it wasn't for you and your--" Barack stopped when he realized Syndil had busted into a fit of hysterics. She was clutching the wall to steady herself, she was laughing so hard. "Stop laughing at me!"

Syndil gasped through her laughter. "Barack it-it knocked you on your ass! Repeatedly! You-you just wouldn't accept defeat! You held on for dear life as that-that bull dragged you all over the arena!"

"Oh that is it, woman! You will pay for laughing at me!" Syndil didn't even have time to react as Barack came running at her and pinned her to the wall. All of a sudden, her laughter cut off and the memory of Savon's attack came rushing back. Panicked, she started to struggle, only to discover he wasn't hurting her. In fact, the laughter came rushing back as she realized Barack was tickling her. "You wanted to laugh! Then laugh!" So she did. She laughed so hard she fell to the earth clutching her stomach as she struggled to breathe.

After several moments, she finally stopped laughing and looked up to find her lifemate bending over her. He seemed to have tears in his eyes. "Barack, what's wrong? I was only teasing."

"Barack blinked back the tears and said, "Look at you. You've finally fallen for me."

"What?" Syndil took Barack's outstretched hand and he pulled her up into his arms.

"That's what happened in Texas those thirty years ago, Syndil. I wasn't trying to impress all those women. I was only trying to impress you. But then you looked at me with those big dark eyes and your beautiful smile, and I lost control. I fell for you Syndil. I fell for you over and over and over again." Barack met his lifemate's gaze to find tears pouring down her cheeks. He kissed the tears right off her face and as he leaned in to kiss her, he whispered, "I'm still falling for you."

Once again, Syndil was blown away by the passion Barack ignited in her. She was just so stunned by his words and she found herself set ablaze by his touch. It was all she could do to stay upright as Barack smothered her with kisses. Her arms encircled his neck and she pulled him closer as she lost herself in pure feeling. It never ceased to amaze her just how much she had been missing for so many centuries.

Before the two of them could take their passion any further, they heard the sound of a throat clearing. "I hate to interrupt, but we do have a schedule to keep." Reluctantly they broke apart and watched as Nicolas and Lara came into view. Barack felt his face go red as he realized all the couple must have heard.

Lara turned to her lifemate and said, "Hey look sweetheart. I told you Carpathians blush. You wouldn't believe me."

Barack and Syndil both averted their eyes while Nicolas gave his lifemate a dirty look. The four of them spent the next several seconds in silence until Syndil finally suggested they get started enriching the soil where Lara's great aunts rested. The two of them went deeper into the cave to work their magic, while Nicolas and Barack followed behind them at a safe distance.

As the two women got to work on the soil, Barack and Nicolas stood in awkward silence. It became so eerily quiet that Barack jumped when Nicolas made his next comment. "Bull riding, Barack?"

Barack glared at Nicolas as he barked out, "If you ever breathe a word of that to anyone, I'll gut you while you sleep."

Nicolas chuckled. "Now how will you manage to stay awake to--"

"I'll find a way!" Barack growled at him.

"Okay, okay. Chill." Nicolas chuckled some more as he mimed locking his lips together and throwing away the key.

Just then, a mournful cry reached their ears followed closely by a howling gust of wind. Barack and Nicolas rushed forward to catch their lifemates as they were both thrown back into their bodies.

"What the hell is happening?" Barack yelled over the wind. It had to be a tornado to have reached them this far into the cave.

"The earth is trembling. Something is happening to the sisters. I don't know what," Syndil told him as she leaned on his strength.

The wind ceased as quickly as it had started, but before the Carpathians could so much as ponder this strange occurrence, the earth opened up in front of them and they all caught a glimpse of two women right before they shifted to mist and streamed toward the entrance of the cave. At the same time, Lara screamed and clutched at her hip.

"Lara! What's going on?" Nicolas held tight to his lifemate as he forced her to meet his gaze. He watched as her eyes glazed over and she removed her hand to reveal her dragon mark was glowing. Fear gripped him as Lara started muttering something.

"The dragon must not die. Have to save the dragon." Lara struggled to get out of Nicolas' grip. She seemed to be under some compulsion. Whatever it was had gripped the aunts as well. Lara started to push against him frantically. "Have to save the dragon."

Nicolas turned to Barack. "Get Syndil out of here! Set strong safeguards. Whatever this compulsion is, it seems to be targeting Dragonseekers only, but if there is any chance Syndil could be controlled by this, neither of us would forgive ourselves. Go!" Barack nodded and shifted to mist with his lifemate before she could object.

Lara's struggles were getting stronger. Her need to save this dragon had given her more energy than normal. Nicolas didn't know how much longer he could hold her back.

_"Nicolas?"_ a faint voice penetrated his mind.

_"Rafael? What are you doing expending your energy trying to contact me from Brazil? Isn't it midday where you are? Why aren't you dead to the world?"_

_"It's Colby. She jerked awake and burst from the soil. She keeps babbling on about 'saving the dragon.' The mark on her hip is glowing and she's trying to drag herself out of the sleeping chamber. She's trying to head into the sunlight! I don't think she can make it past the safeguards, thank God, but I thought this might have something to do with the Dragonseekers. Is Lara all right? I know she also bears the mark."_

Nicolas was dumbfounded. Colby too? If this compulsion was strong enough to wake a Carpathian from sleep in the middle of the day, then there was no way Lara could fight this. _"Rafael I'm glad you told me. Lara is acting the same way. She's trying to get out of my arms right now. The compulsion has affected her aunts as well. I have a feeling some great force is calling the Dragonseekers for a united purpose. I think I'm going to have to let Lara try and save the dragon. I'll update you as soon as I can."_

Nicolas broke away from his brother and loosened his hold on Lara. He said to her, "Sweetheart, I know you need to save the dragon. I want to help you. Can you tell me where we need to go?" An image of Francesca and Gabriel's house entered his mind. "All right, love, grab on to me." He wrapped his arms around his lifemate, shifted them both to mist, and headed out the cave to help save the dragon.

* * *

When Mikhail had left his family to investigate the disturbance at Francesca and Gabriel's house, he never expected to find a group of Dragonseeker women surrounding a glowing Dominic. It seemed as if a light had encompassed the entire room. He found the newcomer, Zohra, crouched in the corner not far from the circle of women. Flames were erupting all over her skin and her body seemed to be shifting its shape. The women's chanting grew louder and the room grew brighter. The words they spoke were like a spell, and it seemed to have a purpose known only to its casters.

**Dragonseeker bathed in light**

**The time has come to show your might**

**Long you've walked this earth alone**

**Your heart imprisoned in a block of stone**

**Your mate has come to turn the key**

**And set your inner dragon free**

**Throw away your earthly guise**

**Oh mighty dragon, let your soul arise!**

Mikhail had to cover his eyes as the women's chanting reached its crescendo. The light was too much to bear. Then, as if a bulb had blown itself out from too much electricity, the light abruptly extinguished itself. The prince looked on in awe as it seemed Dominic had transformed into a massive golden green dragon with red spikes along its spine. He turned to find not Zohra, but a beautiful winged unicorn, a pegahorn. Its golden mane and tail shimmered with the moonlight and its spiral horn caught a rainbow of colors in its opalescent splendor. But its wings were its most fascinating feature, for they seemed to be made entirely of red-orange flame. Mikhail stood and watched as the circle of Dragonseeker women parted and the pegahorn gracefully marched up to the dragon and bowed its head. Then he stood in horror as the magnificent creature rammed its spiral horn right into the dragon's heart and they both erupted in flames. So shocked was he by this display that he did not realize it was mirrored in the sky for all to see.

* * *

"Father, did you see that? It looked like the sky just caught fire!"

The priest laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Yes lad, I saw it. I believe it to be a sign from God. I need you to send a message to Brother Goodwin at the monastery. Tell him the good Lord set the sky ablaze in a call to arms, and that he needs to assemble the Order of the Light. The beast's reign of terror has begun. Darkness must not win over the light."

* * *

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, for I probably won't be updating for a while. Chapter 10 will take a lot of planning and I have no idea when I will finish it. So sorry about the cliffhanger, but I wanted to leave you with something to look forward to. In the meantime, you can stew over just what that last paragraph means. Also, the contest for baby names is still on. If any of you are curious about Denae's soul form the pegahorn, I have a picture of it up on my profile now. Please review and let me know just how much you want me to write the next chapter. Good reviews are fuel for my muse. Bye and thanks for reading.


	11. Chapter 10

Author's Note: So sorry its taken me so long to update. My muse got a little overworked on this chapter. I want to thank all of my loyal reviewers out there and I want you all to know how much I appreciate the encouragement. For those of you who did not review, I would really appreciate it if you would do so. As a writer, I feel I like to get feedback from my readers in order to learn how you think. Often times, it is difficult for the author to see through the eyes of the reader. I need to know how you view my work in order to improve as a writer. So please, review. That is all. Now enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 10

**_"Long we have lived in harmony with all creatures of land, sea, and sky._**

**_As is our creed, we welcome strangers with love and compassion._**

**_Soon, our kindness will be repaid, but not with gratitude._**

**_Envy and greed will tear us apart, and one by one the mighty shall fall._**

**_Blood shall rain from the skies and the rivers shall tell of our sorrow for ages._**

**_The light shall be snuffed out, leaving our world to succumb to the dark._**

**_But a time will come when out of the world of darkness, a child will be born_**

**_One who's soul is so pure that the very sun shall darken to reveal her splendor_**

**_She alone can tame the dragon and force the beast into the dawn of destruction._**

**_And then she with her command of the light shall be seated at the right hand of our king."_**

The words of the ancient prophecy never truly left the forefront of Bastian's mind. How could they? These words, recorded by his very own ancestor in an all but forgotten tongue, were all he had ever really known. The importance of this prophecy had been drilled into his brain from the moment the monks took him in when he was sixteen--when the Order of the Light had rescued him from the flames that took the lives of his parents.

Oh how Bastian wished he could remember life before the fire. What he wouldn't give for just a tiny glimpse into his past. But alas, the images always eluded him. In fact, Bastian couldn't even remember the fire. Sometimes, in his dreams, he thought he caught flashes of blurred memory, but they always left him as soon as he opened his eyes. He never played the wounded orphan. He'd never wanted for anything. The monks had been kind to him. But he wouldn't be human if he didn't wonder about it. Especially since he had not a single tangible item left of his life before. If it weren't for the scars on his back, he could swear his life began at sixteen.

Bastian supposed this was the very reason he had been chosen to find the child of the prophecy. He knew nothing outside the Order. There was no chance he could be swayed from his task. The prophecy was clear. War and death had spread like a plague upon the Earth. The time of judgment was close at hand. The messiah would soon come again. According to the prophecy, only one child had the power to defeat the Beast described within the holy scriptures. Bastian knew it was his destiny to find this child and raise her in the ways of the light. The sign in the sky could not be more obvious. The time to act was now. In only ten days, the sky would darken as the sun eclipsed overhead. At that time, the Child of Light, the Lord's chosen bride, would enter the world. But Bastian knew he was not the only one who sought the baby girl. The Beast would be after her as well--to eliminate her.

After all his research, Bastian had determined not only the location of the promised child, but he was almost certain now of the woman carrying the baby within her womb. Seven children had attended his service on Sunday morning accompanied by Slavica, the local innkeeper. Curious as to the whereabouts of the children's parents, he had approached the woman after the service to question her. She had explained that the children's adopted mother, Sara, was on bed rest due to a high-risk pregnancy of which she had entered her final month. Their adopted father had stayed home to take care of his wife. The timing was perfect. This woman, Sara, had no idea what she carried within her womb. He had to go to her, safeguard her, before it was too late.

These mountains were rumored to house vampires. Bastian might not be superstitious, but when dealing with prophecies, he knew it was better to be safe than sorry. Tomorrow morning he would travel to the inn and ask Slavica to take him to Sara. He would say he wished to pray with her and bless the child she carried. Bastian knew the innkeeper well. She would not deny him an act on behalf of the heavenly father. There was no chance of Bastian sleeping tonight. He pushed himself off his cot and readied himself for the days to come.

* * *

_"Dominic." _A voice penetrated the dark recesses of the ancient's mind. _"Dominic Dragonseeker, you will acknowledge me."_

Dominic recognized the voice calling out to him. He had heard its persuasive tones urging him to give into the darkness for too long. He would continue to ignore the beast within.

_"Dragonseeker, I am not your beast!" _the voice became an angry roar within his mind and echoed through his entire being.

_"Who are you then?" _Dominic sent back.

_"I am the dragon whose fire runs through your veins. For centuries, I have kept your soul safe and protected. I kept you on the path of honor when all others lost their way. I am Baylor, guardian of your soul, and keeper of all soul walker memory. We are one."_

_"This is some sort of trick. My dragon is merely a mark on my skin. It has no name or purpose. And I know nothing of this soul walker memory."_

_"I am not your enemy, Dragonseeker!" _Baylor insisted. "_See the truth for yourself. For as long as you have existed, so too have I dwelled within your spirit. Yet I grow weary of this role. When you took that tainted blood, it was like poison to your very core. I could not endure long the agony of this torture. I cried out for a merciful end, but instead the great Creator gifted us with a miracle. Open your eyes, Dominic and look upon the face of your soul's new protector. _

* * *

Dominic opened his eyes to a brand new world. Well, intellectually he knew he was resting upon the very soil of his homeland, but it seemed so much more. Colors. Such vivid and vibrant colors all around him. After almost three thousand years of dull, lifeless gray he now saw green grass and red and blue wildflowers. Only a lifemate could restore his color. But where was she? Baylor had said his soul had a new protector. That had to be his lifemate. Everything was so fuzzy. How had he ended up in this field?

It was then that Dominic noticed a weight upon his chest. He looked down to see a head of beautiful white-blonde hair shining silver under the light of the full moon. He struggled to sit up. Oh, but he was so weak. Above him, the woman stirred.

Dominic soon found himself staring into the most beautiful blue-violet eyes he had ever seen. Well obviously, he hadn't seen colors in millennia, but he knew deep down that no other creature on Earth could have eyes more beautiful. But wait. These gorgeous eyes were filled with tears. His heart clenched. Lifting a hand, Dominic gently wiped away the woman's tears. The woman gasped. Fearing he had frightened her, Dominic began to withdraw only to have the woman latch on to his hand and hold it against her cheek. Dominic felt a stiffening in his groin as she sighed and rubbed her face against his skin.

"It's really you," her voice was like music on the wind. "I've finally found you."

"How is it that I have a lifemate after so many centuries of emptiness?" he whispered to her.

Once again, the tears began to flow. "Forgive me, my love. I have been a prisoner all my life. 968 years, 5 months, and 22 days to be exact. I only just escaped a few nights ago." She kissed his hand and struggled to move closer to him. "I've dreamed of you for centuries, but in my isolation I believed you an illusion of my tortured mind. It was not until I felt your soul scream that I was certain of your existence. I am just so glad I made it in time."

Dominic felt rage boil inside of him. A prisoner since birth? How could he have let this happen? _"Now is not the time to place blame Dominic. In a way you are both victims of circumstance." _Baylor's words somehow calmed him.

The woman smiled. "It seems your guardian has awakened. My own guardian, Denae, and I were shocked to discover our mate was a soul walker. I had thought I was the last."

"Soul walker?" Baylor had mentioned that. "What is a soul walker?" Dominic asked his lifemate.

His lifemate looked up at the sky then turned back to meet his gaze. "Our souls have form and essentially house sentient beings. We'll have the rest of eternity to discuss this Dominic, but we don't have the time right now. You are weak and the sun will soon rise."

Impulsively, Dominic buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent. A small moan escaped his throat and he found himself growing even harder. She smelled like vanilla orchids. He looked up at her once more and asked, "What is the name of this miracle God has sent me?"

She continued to stare at him silently for a moment before grabbing his head and planting a fierce kiss upon his lips. When finally they came up for air, she rested her head in the crook of his neck and clung to him as if afraid to let go. "Zohra," she said. "My name is Zohra."

"Zohra," he whispered huskily as he nuzzled her neck. "A beautiful name." She moaned in encouragement as his fangs sprung out. He began to scrape his teeth along her sensitive throat.

"Please, don't tease," she begged him breathily. "Bite me. Take my essence into you. Bind us together. Make us one. Please." She whimpered. "Don't leave me alone inside."

Instinct overtook him and Dominic sunk his fangs deep into Zohra's throat. Ah... The taste was pure ecstasy. He clutched her closer and feasted. Her blood was intoxicating. He knew he would never get enough. _"Stop Dominic! You're killing her!"_ Baylor's warning stopped his feeding immediately. Dominic quickly closed the wound and looked up to find his lifemate slumped against him, her skin a sickly grey. _What have I done?_

_"It's all right, love." _Zohra's voice rang through his mind. _"Just help me finish the exchange and then say the words my soul needs to hear."_

Dominic quickly slashed his chest and pressed Zohra's lips to the wound. The suction of her lips as she drank from him had him biting back a scream of pure need. But the sun was rising. They had not the time to complete the ritual this evening. But he could bind them with the ritual words.

* * *

Zohra's spirit soared as Dominic recited the binding words. "You are my lifemate. I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection. I give you my allegiance. I give you my heart. I give you my soul. I give you my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life will be cherished by me for all time. Your life will be placed above my own for all time. You are my lifemate. You are bound to me for all eternity. You are always in my care." As Zohra felt the invisible bonds tying their souls together, she silently rejoiced. She had been so alone for so long. Now she had only to look within to find companionship and love.

* * *

Well that's it for now. Next chapter I plan to have Father Bastian arrive at the inn searching for Sara. Also Skyler's thoughts on Dimitri's recovery.


	12. Chapter 11

Author's note: I know I said I was going to have Bastien in this chapter, but then I realized you all might be wanting some answers about what happened after the big battle with Dominic. I hope this chapter will clear some things up. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 11

Mikhail couldn't believe the utter destruction Dominic's return had wrought. Gabriel and Francesca's Carpathian home lay in ruins, yet that was the least of it. So much blood had been spilled that the Carpathian's emergency supply was all but gone. The few bags of blood left stored were currently on reserve for the healers as they worked diligently to keep the others alive. Yet still, so much was needed that the Carpathian warriors had been forced to feed from over half the residents of the local village. Small as it was, the hunters had needed to spread a rumor of a minor illness spreading through town. Emotional trauma from their lifemates' injuries had had a severe impact on many of the pregnant females. No miscarriages had been reported yet, but that could change in an instant. Sara risked premature labor when Falcon nearly died rushing to the village to feed. With Sara in her last month of pregnancy, her lifemate didn't dare take his nourishment from her. They managed to leap that hurdle, but there was little doubt at this point that the baby would make it a full nine months in the womb. Mikhail could only hope the child would live.

Yet even the massive bloodshed and threat of miscarriages were not the worst of the aftermath. No, the worst was the unknown. Dominic and Zohra, or whatever they turned into, had disappeared the moment they burst into flames. If it weren't for the lack of ashes, Mikhail would have believed they were dead. For now though, the prince had dispatched the brothers Mathias, Tomas, and Lojos to search for them. The Dragonseeker women had fainted when whatever power possessing them had finished using them. For their own protection, all five had been placed in a warded holding station in Shea and Gary's lab. Having just received word that the women had regained consciousness, Mikhail headed there in hopes of answers.

* * *

"Let me out of here you numbskulls! I'm telling you we're not possessed!" Natalya yelled as she once again slammed her body into the magical barrier.

_"I don't like it any more than you, _sivamet_, but until we are certain, you must stay isolated," _Vikirnoff sent to his lifemate on their private path.

"What are you going to do to us, huh? Are you idiots planning to attempt an exorcism like in all those cheesy B movies? I'm Xena, warrior woman, not Emily Rose! I don't need this crap!" Natalya rushed into the wards again. The sound of snickering brought her to a halt. Natalya turned her head to find Lara sporting a silly grin, obviously amused by her fruitless escape attempts. "What are you laughing at? I don't see _you_ doing anything to get us out of here."

"Xena, warrior woman," Lara scoffed. "Xena probably would have had us out of here by now. Doesn't she have that spinning blade thing that cuts through anything?"

"You mean the chakram? That would just bounce off this barrier and ricochet until it sliced all of our heads off. Xena wouldn't be that stupid."

"Really? Well still, I can't see you as Xena. She doesn't faint."

"Neither do I. That was a one time thing brought on by extreme exhaustion and magical interference."

Lara rolled her eyes at her aunt. "You still fainted."

"Why you little--"

"SHUT UP!" Skyler paced across the small room and kicked her foot into the force field. Fixing a mean stare at the two arguing women, she repeated herself. "Will you just shut up? Who cares who fainted? Dimitri could be dead! Nobody will tell us anything, and all you care about is your stupid pride!" Skyler clutched her wolf pendant until her knuckles were white. "Just stop it, okay!"

The two women stared at the floor guiltily. Lara was the first to speak. "You're right, Skyler. None of this is getting us anywhere. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Skyler." Natalya met her gaze. "I just hate being cooped up like a caged tiger--literally."

Skyler paced some more. "When are they going to let us out? I want to see Dimitri." _I need to know he's still alive, _she added silently.

"Soon, ladies." The women watched as Prince Mikhail walked into the room. "We'll let you out of here as soon as you tell me what happened back there."

The room remained silent for so long, that the prince was about to repeat his request. But then a low voice rose from the back of the room. "It doesn't make any sense," Tatijana said.

"How could we have forgotten something so important?" Branislava added.

"What do you mean, ladies?" Mikhail asked. "What happened when that thing took you over?"

"It wasn't a thing," Natalya interjected. "It was more of a presence--the presence of our family heritage."

"Explain," said the prince.

"Zohra and Dominic needed our help to save the dragon," Skyler said. "It wasn't an evil presence, just a desperate one. We were the tool it used to save a species."

Mikhail took a seat as the women told him a story of their long forgotten family history.

------------------

_"Long before recorded history, there was a race known as the Soul Walkers. A race of bi-fold creatures who's souls now take the form of myth. Unicorns, griffins, sylphs, even the majestic phoenix. All lived within the souls of much of humankind. But the most powerful, the mighty dragon, reigned supreme over all. It was said, the great Creator granted the dragon the wisdom of the ages. He became the protector of secrets, and keeper of all memory. _

_But the dragon was not beloved by all who came to know him. Many came to covet his position and plotted to overthrow him. It was the Dragon King's most trusted advisor and friend, Dorimir, the manticore, who revealed the source of the dragon's power to the unenchanted ones. Dorimir believed that the dragon's "royal blood" was not justification for him remaining in power. Dorimir wanted progress, but even with all his wisdom, the dragon seemed content to leave things as they were. Dorimir's greed soon brought an army of hunters into their domain. The very heart of the dragon king was hit with a poisoned arrow And so began the soul walkers' descent into darkness. _

_The dragon's knowledge passed to his living descendents, but they were also hunted and killed. Soon, there was only one with the wisdom and strength of the original dragon king. Asrella, the king's own granddaughter was forced to leave her people and seek aid from a neighboring race. What she found, however, was not an army of allies, but a lifemate for her soul. Asrella bonded with a Carpathian male named Donavon and soon became heavy with child. But the love she had for her lifemate was not enough to protect her from another evil set out to destroy her. While Asrella was giving birth, Donavan was forced to leave her side, to fight off the soulless vampires after her blood. Although he fought valiantly and saved his lifemate from the undead, Donavan was killed in his act of true love. Asrella felt her soul rip in two as her dragon began to die. With a last force of will, Asrella brought her son into the world. Though she tried to hold out for her little boy, Asrella could not survive without her other half. She left the child in the care of another Carpathian family and told them he was to be called "Dragonseeker" for he would be forever seeking the dragon who birthed his soul. It was not long after that the last pure-blooded dragon died of a broken spirit._

_While the little Dragonseeker grew up and became a great Carpathian warrior, he never knew the fate of his mother's people. The unenchanted ones, soon found that dragons were not the only magical beings in the soul walker community. One by one, the hunters tore them to pieces and their numbers dwindled to almost nothing. In a last effort to save themselves, the soul walkers chose to stay forever in human form. It wasn't long before the secret of the soul walkers were all but forgotten._

_But all was not lost. Although young Dragonseeker knew nothing of his soul walker heritage, he bore the mark of the dragon just like his ancestors. Dragonseeker soon found a lifemate and his descendents also bore the mark. The mark became a sign of great power in the Carpathian society and the Dragonseeker line bore great warriors, powerful healers, and developed powers no other line possessed. For within each Dragonseeker a fire burned bright. It was widely known that no Dragonseeker ever turned vampire. Many chose the dawn, but their souls could not be corrupted. Now the Dragonseekers are all but gone just like the soul walker people. The time of enlightenment is upon us. The dragon has discovered its mate, and soul walkers will rise again, for the dragon, must not die."_

* * *

"That's what we learned when the presence took us over," Lara said. "The woman, Zohra, is a soulwalker. They've returned. And Dominic's dragon awoke screaming for her."

"But with the vampire blood running through his veins, he couldn't hold out against the beast. The dragon was losing the battle. So he called for our help," Natalya added.

"Ours and every other Dragonseeker who ever lived--past and present," Skyler finished.

Mikhail was in awe of their tale. Long had Carpathians wondered about the origin of the Dragonseekers. Now, they knew. But what could be done with this information? "If Zohra and Dominic are still out there, if whatever you did to save the dragon worked, what do you suppose is happening now?"

"Oh it worked. There is no doubt of that," Natalya said. "I suspect that wherever they are, they are finishing what we started. They are making sure the dragon stays safe."

Even in the underground lab, Mikhail sensed the approaching dawn. "It appears that whatever happened to you has not endangered you in any way," he said to them. "I'm going to hand you over to your lifemates and families. But I want all of you to swear that if you start feeling any strange side effects from what happened, you'll let someone know."

The women were more than willing to swear to that oath. Mikhail called Gregori in to remove the wards.

As the prince left to return to Raven and their unborn son, the brothers he had sent after Zohra and Dominic approached him.

"My prince, we searched all evening, but found nothing," Tomas said. "The dawn is coming and we need to go to ground."

"Understood," Mikhail nodded. "Resume the search on the next rising."

"Yes, my prince."

* * *

Immediately upon her release, Skyler rushed to find Francesca. She found her sprawled across a bench in the back of the lab. Her skin was almost translucent as she guzzled down what seemed like the last of the emergency blood. Skyler rushed to kneel before her mother and tried to ask with her eyes what she could not bear to voice aloud or even in her thoughts.

"He's alive, Skyler." Francesca told her when she finished her drink. Skyler let out a breath she had not realized she was holding. Francesca gathered her daughter into her arms and then met her gaze. "By all accounts, he should have died. I was losing him, Skyler. His wounds were so extensive and I felt his spirit start to drift. I had no choice but to give him my blood."

"You gave him your blood?" Skyler asked through her tears. She didn't know whether to be grateful or horrified.

"Yes. I hoped that Carpathian blood would help his body heal and help him stay alive long enough for me to stop all the internal bleeding."

Skyler nodded her understanding. "And?"

"While I was working on Dimitri, I inadvertently heard his thoughts along the new mental path. He was repeating the same thing over and over like a talisman. 'For as long as your heart still beats, I will live for you, Skyler. And until you take your last breath, I will never leave you.'"

Skyler looked at her mother in awe. "He heard me. He heard my prayers. I told him to live for me. That I didn't want him to leave me." _I told him I loved him._

"Yes, Skyler. He heard you. And it was your love for him that kept him alive in that healing chamber. Not me."

Skyler wiped away her tears and once again clutched her wolf pendant. "Can I see him?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie. We had to lay him in a healing sleep. His wounds were so extensive, he'll most likely be beneath the ground for several weeks."

Skyler gave her mother another hug. "It's all right. I'll be okay. Dimitri's alive, and someday, we'll get to be together like we're meant to. That's all that matters right now."

Francesca pulled away and smiled weakly "Come on, sweetheart. We're spending the day at your Uncle Lucien's." She reached behind the bench and put something soft in her daughter's hands.

Skyler looked down to find her plush wolf with its icy blue eyes. She smiled up at her mother with tears in her eyes. "You saved it."

"Yes. I figured you'd be needing it for a while."

Skyler hugged the wolf tight and looked up. "Thank you, Francesca--for everything."

"I love you, sweetheart." Then Francesca wrapped her arms around her daughter and turned them both to mist.

* * *

Well that's it for now. I want to give a shoutout to SevenScars for supplying me with the name Asrella. It worked out beautifully. Next chapter sees Bastien arriving in town. Stay tuned. Now, please let me know what you think.


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